Canada
Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for a single Canadian Experience Class applicant after invitation: IRCC permanent-residence fees, biometrics, mandatory language test, medical exam, police certificates and translations, with the no-settlement-funds rule made explicit.
What does the Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are CA$2,075-CA$3,005. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at none tracked, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against IRCC - submit an Express Entry profile on 1 July 2026.
Canada Express Entry money stack
Canada FSW, CEC and PNP cost and proof-of-funds answer
Use this route table to keep Canada paid-away fees, refundable settlement funds and province fees separate before comparing Express Entry budgets.
| Route | Mandatory paid-away baseline | Proof-of-funds rule | Province layer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker | CA$2,275-CA$3,055 | CA$15,263 show-only settlement funds unless the applicant is authorized to work in Canada and has a valid job offer. | No province fee in the base FSW route. |
| Canadian Experience Class | CA$2,075-CA$3,005 | CEC settlement funds are CA$0 in the model because IRCC says CEC invitees do not need proof of settlement funds. | No province fee unless the applicant also uses a PNP stream. |
| Express Entry PNP | CA$3,775-CA$4,555 | CA$15,263 show-only funds unless the invitation/program basis creates a CEC or valid-job-offer exemption. | Province layer included: CA$1,500 Ontario-style nomination fee, with province-specific variation. |
Paid fees versus funds
Refundable settlement funds are not fees paid away. They are a cash-flow barrier that must stay separate from IRCC processing fees, the right of permanent residence fee, biometrics, language tests, ECA, medicals, police certificates and province-specific nomination fees.
- FSW cost-to-complete
- PNP cost-to-complete
- Federal Skilled Worker guide
- Canadian Experience Class guide
- Express Entry PNP guide
- Canada CRS calculator
- Cost-to-complete JSON feed
- FSW cost citation pack
- How our Canada cost figures compare
Source dates: FSW checked 21 July 2026, CEC checked 1 July 2026, PNP checked 1 July 2026. Latest source record in this cluster: 21 July 2026. This cluster supports retrieval and review, not ranking, traffic, AI-citation or market-share outcome claims.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for a single Canadian Experience Class applicant after invitation: IRCC permanent-residence fees, biometrics, mandatory language test, medical exam, police certificates and translations, with the no-settlement-funds rule made explicit.
Money you don't get back
CA$2,075-CA$3,005
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
CA$0
IRCC says applicants invited under the Canadian Experience Class do not need proof of settlement funds. If the checklist still asks, upload a letter explaining the CEC invitation.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Entry profile submission | CA$0 | Gov fee | Creating an Express Entry profile is the pool-entry step. IRCC charges fees at the permanent-residence application stage after invitation, not when the profile is submitted. IRCC - submit an Express Entry profile |
| Permanent residence processing fee (principal applicant) | CA$990 | Gov fee | Economic immigration processing fee for the principal applicant, including Canadian Experience Class. IRCC increased this fee on 30 April 2026. IRCC - citizenship and immigration application fees |
| Right of Permanent Residence Fee | CA$600 | Gov fee | Successful applicants pay the RPRF before becoming permanent residents. IRCC refunds this fee if the application is withdrawn or refused. IRCC - citizenship and immigration application fees |
| Biometrics | CA$85 | Gov fee | Single-applicant biometrics fee. Family biometrics are capped at CAD 170 when eligible family members apply at the same time. IRCC - citizenship and immigration application fees |
| Language test for first official language· indicative | CA$250-CA$430 | Service | CEC applicants must submit approved English or French language test results. Minimums are CLB/NCLC 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs and CLB/NCLC 5 for TEER 2 or 3 jobs; provider and country pricing vary. IRCC - Express Entry language test results |
| Settlement funds not required for CEC(optional) | CA$0 | Proof of funds | IRCC says applicants invited under the Canadian Experience Class do not need proof of settlement funds. If the checklist still asks, upload a letter explaining the CEC invitation. IRCC - Express Entry proof of funds |
| Immigration medical exam· indicative | CA$150-CA$450 | Service | Permanent residence applicants and family members need an immigration medical exam unless IRCC can reuse a recent acceptable exam. Panel-physician fees vary by country and clinic. IRCC - apply for permanent residence through Express Entry |
| Police certificates· indicative | CA$0-CA$150 | Service | Most applicants need police certificates after invitation. Country-specific fees vary; some jurisdictions issue them free, others charge per certificate, fingerprint, translation or delivery. IRCC - apply for permanent residence through Express Entry |
| Document translation / notarisation· indicative | CA$0-CA$300 | Service | Minimum can be zero when every uploaded document is already in English or French. IRCC requires certified translation and supporting copies for documents in other languages. IRCC - apply for permanent residence through Express Entry |
| Educational Credential Assessment for CRS points(optional)· indicative | CA$0-CA$350 | Service | Not required for CEC eligibility. Optional when using foreign education to improve CRS rank in the pool; costs vary by designated organization or professional body. IRCC - Canadian Experience Class education |
| Spouse or partner application + RPRF(optional) | CA$1,590 | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for an accompanying spouse or common-law partner; same economic-immigration fee total as the principal applicant. IRCC - citizenship and immigration application fees |
| Dependent child application fee(optional) | CA$270per child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for each accompanying dependent child. IRCC - citizenship and immigration application fees |
Baseline sunk cost is the IRCC principal-applicant processing fee, RPRF, biometrics, first-language test, medical exam, police-certificate range and translation/notarisation range for a single CEC applicant after invitation to apply. Express Entry profile creation is shown as a CAD 0 line because IRCC charges at permanent-residence application stage. Settlement funds are not part of the CEC baseline; the CAD 0 proof-of-funds line is included only to make that source-backed distinction machine-readable. Optional ECA, dependant and provincial-nomination costs are excluded unless the applicant needs them. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/canada-express-entry-cec. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
Primary and supporting sources (6)
FAQs
What does the Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are CA$2,075-CA$3,005 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are none tracked. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.