New policy on remissions when service standards are not met in some IRCC programs

Ottawa, March 31, 2021—The Departmental Remission Policy for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) comes into effect on April 1, 2021, in accordance with the Service Fees Act. This notice has important information for people who receive services from IRCC.

According to the Service Fees Act, when an individual pays for a government service and the service standard is not met, the department involved must return a portion of the fee to the fee payer. In such cases, remissions (partial refunds) will be issued to complete applications received on or after April 1, 2021, for the Right of Citizenship fee, the International Experience Canada program participation fee, and certain fees related to passports and other travel documents.

There is no need for a client to contact the department to request a remission if the service standard is not met. The remission will typically be issued by July 1 of the following fiscal year via the method of original payment, or by cheque for payments that are not made online.

Should it be determined that the service standard in relation to a fee paid is not met primarily due to exceptional circumstances, the fee payer is not eligible for a remission.

Exceptional circumstances are defined as circumstances outside IRCC’s control such as, but not limited to

• unforeseen system disruptions and/or failures
• natural disasters
• emergency situations that cause  
  • a closure of an office
  • a reduction in the service offerings within the office, or
  • a surge of applications outside the department’s control that causes a disruption to the normal operation of an office
• unforeseen office closures
• labour disruption
• third-party service and/or service provider service interruptions or delays, where IRCC does not have a contractual agreement with the service provider
• major legislative and/or policy changes enacted by foreign governments

Right of Citizenship

The Right of Citizenship service standard is a maximum of 4 months. The first invitation to attend a citizenship ceremony must be sent to the applicant within 4 months of the date of their positive grant decision.

The remission will be

• 25% of the fee for less than 4 months past the service standard, and
• 50% of the fee, if for more than 4 months past the service standard

For citizenship applications that are refused, abandoned or withdrawn, applicants will continue to receive a full refund of their Right of Citizenship fee.

International Experience Canada

The service standard for International Experience Canada is 56 days. If that service standard is not met, applicants will be eligible for a remission.

The remission will be

• 25% of the fee for 28 calendar days or fewer past the service standard, and
• 50% of the fee for 29 calendar days or more past the service standard

Passport services

Service standards for passport services vary by the service requested. For information on Passport service standards, please visit the IRCC website.

Due to the short nature of timelines related to passport services, the COVID-19 pandemic represents an exceptional circumstance where service standards may not be met and applicants will not be entitled to a remission for this reason.

The policy applies to the following passport and travel document processing fees (excluding the consular fee in the adult travel documents):

• adult 5-year passport requested in Canada or the U.S.
• adult 10-year passport requested in Canada or the U.S.
• child regular passport requested in Canada or the U.S.
• adult 5-year passport requested outside of Canada or the U.S.
• adult 10-year passport requested outside of Canada or the U.S.
• child regular passport requested outside of Canada or the U.S.
• temporary passport fee
• adult refugee travel document
• adult certificate of identity

The remission will be

• 25% of the fee for 10 business days or fewer past the service standard, and
• 50% of the fee for 11 or more business days past the service standard