Canada is one of the safest countries in the world with a fast growing economy and an ambitious immigration plan. While the Covid-19 pandemic has crippled a lot of countries, Canada is successfully maneuvering its way through the pandemic, creating various means of income for its citizens, and steadily building a stable economy.

One way Canada plans on keeping the economy growing is by welcoming about 1.3 million skilled Immigrants into the country in the next three years, starting 2024. This is according to a statement issued by the Canada Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino.

As an Indian, this is an opportunity to be a part of the 1.3 million immigrants to Canada from 2024 to 2024 by simply following a few procedures. So, let’s get into these procedures, and the total amount you will spend to be a permanent resident of Canada.

Different Ways to Immigrate to Canada from India

Source: freepik.com

Source: freepik.com

It is advisable to understand the application methods when applying to Canadian immigration programs from India. This will help ease your application process and put you in a better chance of getting accepted. Below are brief explanations of several ways to immigrate to Canada from India:

  • Business Immigration
  • Temporary to Permanent Residence
  • Federal Economic Class
  • Family Class Sponsorship
  • Provincial Economic Class

Canada Business Immigration Policies – As an entrepreneur, this is a great way to immigrate to Canada from India. There are three methods on how to apply for a Canadian business immigration plan, namely: Start-up visa program, Self-employed program, and Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program.

Temporary to Permanent Residence – If your application for a permanent stay permit in Canada does not go through from India, you can apply for a temporary residency as a skilled worker.

When your temporary application is successful, and you are in Canada; there are Canadian immigration programs through which you can use to gain permanent residency.

Federal Economic Class – Canada’s federal government introduced an immigration system in 2015 known as Express Entry.

How it works is, if you meet the criteria for any of the federal economic class immigration programs, you can submit your profile online to the Federal Entry Pool; submitted online profiles that rank high get sent an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

The federal economic class immigration programs comprise – Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades, and Canada Experience Class.

Family Class Sponsorship – The easiest way to immigrate to Canada from India is through the family. If a family member of yours, who is above the age of eighteen with a legal source of income, is already an immigrant of Canada, you can send in an application through family class sponsorship immigration.

Provincial Economic Class – So you applied through one of the federal economic class programs and didn’t qualify, guess what? There are more immigration programs for Indians in the provincial economic class.

Unlike the federal economic class that is broad, the government narrowed the immigration programs under provincial economic class into the provinces of Canada in need of specifically skilled workers.

So how much does it cost to immigrate to Canada from India?

Source: freepik.com

Now that you have a basic understanding of the different ways to immigrate to Canada from India, and you are probably thinking of applying through one or more of the immigration programs listed above, it is time to lay out the basic requirements and how much it costs to immigrate to Canada from India.

According to Canada Immigration News, the general fees to keep in mind when applying for permanent residency are:

  • Application processing fee
  • Consultation and Representation fee
  • Right of Permanent Residence fee (RPRF)
  • Biometrics fee
  • Medical Examination fee
  • Preparation and Translation of Documents fee

Source: freepik.com

As a citizen applying from India to Canada, let’s break it down in Rupees using an exchange rate of 1 Canadian Dollar (CAD) to 57 Indian Rupees (INR).

  1. Application fee – To start the process of your immigration application, it requires you to pay a processing fee to either the Federal or Provincial government of Canada depending on your immigration program. The general application processing fee is 825 Canadian Dollar, an equivalent of 47,025 Indian Rupees.
  2. Biometrics fee – As an applicant, you must submit your biometric data to the Canada immigration office. The biometrics fee for an individual is 85 Canadian Dollar and 170 Canadian Dollar for a family; that is 4,845 Indian Rupees per person and 9,690 Indian Rupees for a family.
  3. Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) – As of 2024, the Right of Permanent Resident fee is 500 Canadian Dollar, an equivalent of 28,500 Indian Rupees.
  4. IELTS: this stands for International English Language Testing System; it is a language assessment exam to grade how fluent you are in English. You can take the test in Indian for 14,000 rupees.
  5. Transcripts – You also have to send over your Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) if it is requested in a school, company, or skilled immigrant program. The transcripts fee varies from one college to another college in Indian, but you can expect a fee of 2,000 Indian Rupees.
  6. Medical Examination – A general medical check-up and procedure will cost you about 4,000 Indian Rupees.
  7. Proof of Funds (POF) – This is important because you have to present evidence to the Canadian government that you can take care of yourself the first few months that you will be in Canada. Three months of your account statement is required, and your account should have at least 12,960 Canadian Dollar for an individual, equivalent to 738,720 Indian Rupees.
  8. Police Clearance (PCC) – This is a regular procedure to be carried out in India, and it costs 500 India Rupees.
  9. GCMS Notes: Global Case Management System is the only option available for you as an applicant to get an accurate view of your Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) file for a fee of 1,750 Indian Rupees.
  10. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – If you are planning on immigrating to Canada from India through PNP, you will apply to qualify for nomination by a Canadian province. One way to apply from India is through SINP; and that will be 350 Canadian Dollar, an equivalent of 19,950 Indian Rupees.
  11. Passport Stamping – To get your passport stamped in India will cost you a fee of 450 Indian Rupees.
  12. Ticket – While planning everything, ticket fare to Canada should be on your list. Different fare prices for different airlines, but if you consider travelling with Air France, flight fare will be around 45,000 Indian Rupees.
  13. Miscellaneous – Extra expenses will come up during the application process, like a translation of documents as all documents submitted must be in English language, passports, consultation and representation fees, legal fee, photocopies, notary. A budget of 3,000 Indian Rupees will cover extra expenses.

Source: freepik.com

Below is a diagram in table form to give you a much clearer picture of how much it cost to immigrate to Canada from India.

 

Requirements

Amount in Canadian Dollars Amount in Indian Rupees (per person) Amount in Indian Rupees for 2persons
Application fee CAD 825 INR 47,025 94,050
Biometrics CAD 85 INR 4,845 9,690 (family)
RPRF CAD 500 INR 28,500 57,000
IELTS INR 14,000 28,000
Transcripts INR 2,000 4,000
Medical Examination INR 4,000 10,000 (family of 3)
Proof of Funds CAD 12,960 INR 738,720 919, 695
Police Clearance INR 500 1,000
GCMS Notes INR 1,750 3,500
PNP fee (optional) CAD 350 INR 19,950 39,950
Passport Stamping INR 450 900
Ticket INR 45,000 90,000
Miscellaneous INR 3,000 6000
Total INR 909, 740 INR 1,263,785

Diagram of how much it cost to immigrate to Canada from India using an exchange rate of 57 Indian Rupees.