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Fee refund to start 'within weeks' |
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By Ethan Caleb »
Prospective immigrants who have paid their $975 landing fee will start
receiving a $485 refund within weeks. Following the 2006 budget,
Citizenship and Immigration Canada confirmed that refunds will be
issued to all those who have paid the fee but haven't yet received
their residence papers.
The refund process is expected to take about a year before it is complete.
Those who paid the landing fee (Right of Permanent Residence Fee) in Canada will automatically be mailed a refund cheque, but those who applied from another country need to send in a request to the CIC mission where the fee was paid. If no request is made, the cheque will be sent at the same time as the visa is issued.
In-Canada applicants who have changed their address since arrival can call the CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100. There is no charge for this call.
If you do not receive your refund before you become a permanent resident, you will be given information on how to request one when you arrive in Canada.
There is no deadline for requesting refunds.
Cheques sent outside Canada will be issued in the equivalent local currency, and will be subject to the prevailing exchange rate at the time the refund is sent. This means some applicants may receive a higher or lower amount than what they paid above the new $490 landing fee.
All refunds are being issued by cheque only; requests for other payment methods are not being entertained.
According to CIC, approximately 185,000 people who have paid the fee but who have not yet become permanent residents of Canada as of 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on May 3, 2006, are eligible for a refund.
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