Your Wallet Feels It Too: Québec Quietly Raises Immigration Fees in 2026

It does not make headlines the way a new immigration program would, but it affects every single person submitting an application to Québec this year. Since January 1, 2026, the province has rolled out an updated fee schedule touching every corner of its immigration system, from permanent residency applications to student permits, employer assessments, and even consultant credentials. If you are in the process of building your immigration file, this is not a detail you can afford to miss.

Inflation, Not Policy: Understanding Why Fees Went Up

The first thing to understand is what this change is not. It is not a sign that Québec is making immigration harder, more restrictive, or more selective. The province operates under a legal obligation to index its immigration fees every year in line with inflation. For 2026, that translated into a 2.85% adjustment, calculated against the Québec Consumer Price Index for the period ending September 30, 2024. Programs, eligibility criteria, and selection rules remain exactly as they were. Only the price tag has changed.

Permanent Immigration: A Mixed Picture

For those pursuing permanent residency, the fee adjustments paint a nuanced picture. The largest dollar increase falls on investor program applicants, whose fees climbed from $17,875 to $18,241. Entrepreneur and self-employed worker applications now come in at $1,272, up from $1,246.

In a pleasant surprise for the most common applicant category, skilled worker fees have actually gone down, falling from $921 to $840. It stands as the only category bucking the upward trend, and it is welcome news for the thousands of candidates moving through the PSTQ each year.

The remaining permanent immigration adjustments are as follows:

• Accompanying family members (excluding investor program): from $197 to $201 per person
• Employer permanent job offer validation: from $228 to $233
• Family sponsorship undertaking, first foreign national: from $328 to $335
• Each additional family member under a sponsorship undertaking: from $132 to $135

Temporary Immigration and Students: Small Increases, Real Impact

Temporary immigration is no exception to the new schedule. Foreign worker temporary selection certificate applications now cost $233, and employers requesting a labour market impact assessment face the same figure, both up from $228.

International students arriving in Québec will pay $135 to file their application, a $3 increase from the previous $132. The same modest bump applies to individuals seeking temporary stay in the province for medical treatment.

Consultants and Credential Evaluations

Immigration consultants operating in Québec will also dig a little deeper into their pockets in 2026. Initial recognition applications now cost $1,945, up from $1,906, while renewals have risen from $1,551 to $1,583.

For internationally educated individuals needing a comparative evaluation of their credentials, the fee has nudged upward from $138 to $141.

Current Québec Immigration Fee Table

The Hidden Cost of Getting It Wrong

Here is something many applicants underestimate: immigration is never a single transaction. Provincial fees are just one layer of a much larger financial equation that includes federal processing fees, language test registrations, medical examinations, biometrics, and in many cases professional guidance. Using an outdated fee amount, even by a few dollars, can create complications that delay your file or require you to resubmit.

Before hitting submit on any 2026 application, take five minutes to confirm the current fee amounts directly on the MIFI’s official website. It is a small step that could save you a significant headache down the road.