IRCC fees in CFA francs: reading the amounts at today’s rate

IRCC fees are written in Canadian dollars. You, though, pay from Douala, with a card or through a bank that counts in CFA francs. Between the two sits an exchange rate, and that is where the nasty surprises are born.

The tab called The official fees puts the three figures everyone comes looking for side by side, with their conversion: /en/check-list.html#bareme

Where the displayed rate comes from

Above the tables, one line states the conversion at the rate of a given day: one Canadian dollar is worth so many francs. That line is not decoration, it is the key to reading everything below it.

The route is simple. The site fetches the value of the Canadian dollar in euros from the European Central Bank. Then it applies the fixed parity of the CFA franc: one euro is worth 655.957 francs, and that figure does not move. Since the franc is pegged to the euro, a single reading is enough to obtain the value of the dollar in francs.

The European Central Bank publishes once per business day. On a Sunday the date shown may therefore be Friday’s: that is normal, and it is exactly why the date is written out. If the reading fails — no network, service unavailable — the page does not pretend: it shows a warning and presents the conversion as indicative only.

The three tables

The first is proof of funds: the sum required for each family size, from one person to seven, then an amount per additional person. Each row gives the amount in dollars and its equivalent in francs. Right below sits the warning that matters: this money is on top of the fees and is not meant to pay them, it must be available and yours, and money borrowed from someone else is not accepted.

The second is the schedule of fees payable to IRCC: processing for the principal applicant, for the spouse, per dependent child, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee per adult, biometrics per person aged 14 and over, and the family cap on biometrics. Two rows deserve a second reading. Biometrics are free for a child aged 13 or under when the application is submitted. And the Right of Permanent Residence Fee is the only fee refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn.

The third is the IOM medical exam, by age bracket. That one is not converted, and deliberately so: the exam is paid here, at the counter, in francs. Converting a price you settle in francs into dollars would teach nobody anything. The month of the grid appears beside the title, because IOM revises it every month.

The converter, for everything else

Above the tables, a small converter applies the same arithmetic to any amount you like. You type a sum, you pick which currency to which — Canadian dollar, franc, euro — and one button swaps them round. It uses exactly the rate displayed above: no second figure circulates on the page.

Handy for an assessment fee read on a Canadian website, or a quote received in euros.

What to check before you pay

Look at the date of the rate first. If it is a few days old, reopen the page on the day you pay.

Then know that your bank will not apply that rate. A card adds its own margin and currency fees. The amount in francs shown here is a landmark for building your budget, not the exact debit you will see on your account.

Finally, check the amount with IRCC itself. The site’s schedule is taken from the official pages and carries the date it was taken, but IRCC reindexes its fees every two years, and proof of funds is reviewed every year. In case of any discrepancy the Government of Canada website prevails — the fee page says so itself, at the bottom.

Taking the table with you

Under each table, two buttons build an image: share on WhatsApp, or save it to your phone. That is what they are for — a legible table carrying the rate and its date, to send to a spouse or a brother helping with the financing.

The medical exam image also carries the bank details for paying IOM before the appointment, with the deposit reference to write on the slip. Keep the receipt: it is required on the day of the exam.

The fee schedule: /en/check-list.html#bareme