How Much Does Criminal Rehabilitation Cost to Enter Canada?
If you have a criminal record and want to visit or live in Canada the government calls you criminally inadmissible until you fix it and criminal rehabilitation is the permanent fix. As of December 2025 the IRCC processing fee is CAD 246.25 for non serious criminality and CAD 1231 for serious criminality such as most DUI convictions after 2018.
On top of that most applicants pay a consultant or lawyer somewhere between CAD 2500 and CAD 6500 depending on how many offences need to be explained and how complex the paperwork is. Add police certificates court documents and courier costs and a full application usually lands between CAD 3000 and CAD 7000 all in. Processing then takes about 12 to 18 months so budgeting time matters as much as budgeting money.
What Criminal Rehabilitation Actually Is
Criminal rehabilitation is a formal application to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada known as IRCC that permanently removes a past conviction as a reason to deny you entry. Without it a criminal record even a minor one from years ago can get you turned away at the border or refused a visa.
Once approved the fix is permanent. You will not need to reapply before every trip and you will not need a special reason to travel like you would with a temporary resident permit. This is why so many Australians with an old conviction choose to apply for it rather than gamble on being waved through by a border officer.
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The Government Processing Fee in 2026
IRCC charges a processing fee based on how serious your offence is considered under Canadian law rather than under Australian law. This distinction catches a lot of applicants off guard because an offence that felt minor at home can be classified as serious criminality in Canada if the maximum possible sentence there is ten years or more.
IRCC increased these fees slightly in December 2025 to keep pace with inflation and now reviews pricing every year so it is worth checking the current amount before you pay.
Non-Serious Criminality
Serious Criminality
Consultant and Legal Fees
The government fee is only part of the bill. Most applicants also pay a consultant or lawyer to prepare the file because a rehabilitation application often runs to well over a hundred pages once every arrest and conviction is addressed in detail.
Professional preparation typically costs between CAD 2500 and CAD 6500 depending on how many offences are involved and how much research is needed to match each one to its Canadian equivalent. A single old conviction with no aggravating factors usually sits at the lower end while multiple offences or anything involving violence or large sums of money push the price up.
This is one area where GIEC Global regularly hears the same question from clients. Amrit Kaur R531273 and Yun Zhan R711892 our RCIC licensed consultants can review your situation and give you a fixed quote before any work begins so there are no surprises partway through.
Other Costs People Forget to Budget For
Beyond the government fee and professional fees a few smaller costs add up quickly.
- Police certificates from every state or country you have lived in for six months or more over the past ten years
- Certified or notarised copies of court records and sentencing documents
- Courier or registered post to send your paper application since IRCC does not accept rehabilitation applications online
- Translation costs if any documents are not already in English
- Bank drafts or online payment fees for the IRCC processing charge
What Your Total Cost Might Look Like
Every case is different but these rough scenarios give a sense of what applicants typically spend from start to finish.
Single Minor Offence
Single DUI (Post 2018)
Multiple or Serious Offences
What Actually Drives the Price Up or Down
A few factors explain why two applicants can pay very different amounts for what looks like a similar process.
- Number of arrests or convictions since every one must be individually addressed even if charges were later dismissed.
- Whether your offence equates to serious or non-serious criminality under Canadian law.
- How much research is needed to match a foreign offence to its Canadian equivalent.
- Whether you handle the paperwork yourself or hire a consultant to manage it for you.
- How quickly you can gather police certificates and court documents.
How Long Does the Whole Process Take?
Processing time is where a lot of frustration comes from and it deserves as much attention as the price tag. Government processing alone typically runs 12 to 18 months and gathering documents beforehand can add several more months on top of that.
FAQs
GIEC Global works with RCIC licensed consultants Amrit Kaur (R531273) and Yun Zhan (R711892) who can review your record, confirm whether your offence falls under non serious or serious criminality, and give you a clear picture of timeline and cost before you commit to anything. Rather than trying to match your conviction to Canadian law on your own, our consultants handle the legal research, prepare the full application file, and guide you through gathering the right police certificates and court documents so the process moves as smoothly as possible.
Most applicants end up spending between CAD 3000 and CAD 8000 once the government fee, consultant costs, police certificates and courier charges are all added together. The exact number depends mainly on how many offences are involved and whether the case is treated as non serious or serious criminality.
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IRCC charges CAD 246.25 for non serious criminality and CAD 1231 for serious criminality. These amounts were last adjusted in December 2025 and are reviewed periodically so it is worth confirming the current fee before submitting payment.
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No. The processing fee covers the cost of reviewing your file regardless of the outcome. If your application is refused you would need to pay the fee again to reapply.
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It is not mandatory. Some applicants prepare and submit the file themselves. Most choose professional help because the application requires matching every past offence to its Canadian legal equivalent, and an incomplete or incorrectly prepared file is often returned or delayed.
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Impaired driving convictions from December 2018 onward are generally treated as serious criminality in Canada because of changes to maximum sentencing under Canadian law. This is one of the more common surprises for Australian applicants who assumed a DUI would be treated as minor.
No. There is no expedited processing option for criminal rehabilitation applications. If you need to travel to Canada sooner, applying for a temporary resident permit alongside your rehabilitation application is the usual workaround.
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Yes. Every offence needs to be individually addressed with supporting documents and legal analysis, so applicants with multiple convictions typically pay more in both consultant fees and time spent gathering paperwork.
Travelling without addressing an inadmissibility issue carries a real risk of being refused entry at the border, which can also complicate future travel attempts. Criminal rehabilitation is a one time cost that permanently resolves the issue, which is why most people view it as a worthwhile investment rather than a gamble.