The citizenship fee for adult applicants changed on March 31, 2026: the right of citizenship fee increased from $119.75 to $123. It’s a small bump ($3.25), but it’s worth understanding how citizenship fees are structured so your application isn’t returned for underpayment.
How the citizenship fee is structured
An adult grant application actually has two fee components. The processing fee, $530, is unchanged. The right of citizenship fee, now $123, is the part that adjusts annually with inflation under the Service Fees Act. Total for an adult applicant: $653.
Which citizenship fee applies to you
Applications received on or after March 31, 2026 pay the new amount. If you paid the old fee but IRCC receives your application after the change, expect it to be returned, restart the clock, lose the months. When a fee change is announced, file cleanly on one side of the line or the other.
The fee is the easy part
What actually decides citizenship applications is the physical presence calculation: 1,095 days in the five years before applying, with pre-PR time counting at half-day credit up to a maximum. Travel-history errors are the number-one avoidable problem I see. The second is unresolved issues from your PR history surfacing at the citizenship stage.
Thinking about applying?
If you’re close to eligible, a precise day-count and a clean application beat waiting months for a returned package. See my citizenship services, from presence calculations to residency questionnaires, or check your PR obligations if your card is close to expiry.
Source: IRCC Notice, March 27, 2026 and the official fee list.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different: book a consultation to discuss your situation.
About the author
Miguel Martins Pereirinha is a Canadian immigration lawyer and partner at Slayen Immigration Law in Vancouver, British Columbia. He practises Canadian immigration law exclusively — work permits, permanent residence, family sponsorship, citizenship and inadmissibility — and works with clients in English and Portuguese.
