Updated · NextMigrate Team
Eighteen Months, Line by Line: What One Family's Move Cost and When Each Fee Fell Due
Imagine you are a teacher in Karachi. Your partner is an accountant. You have two children, a rented flat, and a savings account you have fed for years, a little every month. You have decided: Canada. A better school for the kids. A salary that keeps up with prices. A future that feels less fragile.
One evening you sit down with a calculator and ask the obvious question. How much will this cost?
Most answers online give you one big number. But one number hides the thing that actually breaks family budgets. It is not only how much. It is when.
The short answer: In the worked example below, a family of four moving from South Asia to Canada on a skilled route without a job offer spent about US$6,000 equivalent on the process itself over eighteen months. Flights, insurance and the first two months abroad added about US$12,700, so the cash they handed over was close to US$18,800. On top of that, they had to hold a settlement-funds balance of about CA$28,000, the figure Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes for a household of four, untouched from month ten until landing. So they needed control of roughly US$39,000 to US$45,000 equivalent at once, and about half of it was never spent at all.
Why the timing matters more than the total
Think of it like a year of household bills. Knowing you spend a certain amount a year does not help if the school fees, the car repair and a wedding all land in the same week.
Migration is the same. The money leaves in about fourteen separate payments, across roughly eighteen months, in three or four currencies. For this family, the worst month needed about US$3,450 in four weeks. It arrived just when most of their savings were locked away in a balance they were not allowed to touch.
Every figure here comes from a worked example. Fees change, so none of these amounts are current quotes. Confirm each on the authority's own page before you budget. This is general information, not legal advice, and a licensed adviser listed on your destination's public register should confirm what your case needs.
What this ledger covers
The ledger is a planning example for one composite household, built from published fee structures: IRCC, its designated language test providers and credential assessment organisations, and its panel physicians. Treat it as a shape, not a case file.
Three things will move the numbers under you:
- Fee changes. IRCC revises permanent residence and biometrics fees from time to time. Australia's Department of Home Affairs has typically revised visa charges on 1 July. UK Visas and Immigration revises fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge on its own schedule. Read each authority's fee page the week you pay.
- Exchange rates. Most costs are set in the destination currency and paid from a home account. A ten percent currency move over eighteen months changes your total a lot.
- Family size. It multiplies almost every row. Two adults and two children means roughly four times the biometrics, four times the medicals, and a much higher settlement-funds figure than for one person.
Who this route is for
Check that you fit this pattern before you use it as a budget:
- Skilled workers applying without a job offer, where the settlement-funds rule bites hardest and the wait is longest.
- Households where both adults have degrees or trade qualifications. Assessing both costs more, but can raise your points.
- People who have lived in more than one country, so they need several police certificates.
- Families with children under eighteen, where medicals, biometrics and settlement funds all grow with headcount.
- People paying from a weak or controlled currency, where getting money out is its own problem to solve first.
With a sponsoring employer or no settlement-funds test, your ledger looks nothing like this. In a regulated health profession, add a second ledger: see what bridging and adaptation programmes actually cost, including the months you cannot earn.
What you need before you start budgeting
You need six inputs. Five of them are dates, not amounts.
- The current fee schedule for your route, from the authority's site, with the date you read it next to each figure.
- The settlement-funds figure for your exact household size. IRCC publishes a proof-of-funds table by family size, updated each year against the low income cut-off from Statistics Canada. Note how long the balance must be held. Our guide to proof-of-funds seasoning explains what "held" means in evidence terms.
- The turnaround for each assessing body, because these set your order more than the fees do. Start with our guide to skills assessment timelines by assessing body.
- Every country you and your partner lived in long enough to need a police certificate, with each fee and turnaround.
- Your language test result date, because the validity clock starts there.
- The exchange rate your bank will really give you, which is below the rate you see quoted online.
The ledger: months one to six
Month one is when the family decided to apply. Each row is dated by when the money left their account.
| Month | Line item | Paid in | Approximate amount | Notes on timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Language test booking, main applicant | Home currency | US$250 equivalent | An IRCC-designated English test such as IELTS General Training or CELPIP-General; fee set by the test provider |
| 1 | Language test booking, spouse | Home currency | US$250 equivalent | Both adults tested, to keep spouse points open |
| 2 | Language test sat, no cash | None | Nil | Results issued roughly two weeks later |
| 3 | Language test retake, main applicant | Home currency | US$250 equivalent | One band short on writing on the first sitting |
| 3 | Credential assessment fee, main applicant | Destination currency | US$220 equivalent | Paid direct to an IRCC-designated credential assessment organisation, each of which sets its own fee |
| 3 | University transcript and document dispatch | Home currency | US$90 equivalent | Sent by the university, not by the applicant |
| 4 | Credential assessment fee, spouse | Destination currency | US$220 equivalent | Second assessment, needed for spouse points |
| 4 | Courier costs, documents to assessing bodies | Home currency | US$120 equivalent | Two international courier consignments |
| 5 | Document attestation and notarisation | Home currency | US$180 equivalent | Home-country attestation chain |
| 6 | Certified translations, first batch | Home currency | US$310 equivalent | Degrees, transcripts, marriage and birth certificates |
Cash out in months one to six: about US$1,890 equivalent, almost all in home currency. This is the cheap half. The family could have stopped at any point and lost only what they had spent. It is also where most of the time goes.
Look closely at the retake in month three. One band short on one paper cost another test fee and pushed everything back about six weeks, because the credential assessment and profile were both waiting on the final score. Retakes are common. Budget for one, and treat not needing it as a bonus.
The ledger: months seven to twelve
| Month | Line item | Paid in | Approximate amount | Notes on timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Profile created, no fee at this stage | None | Nil | Points profile submitted and entered the pool |
| 8 | Police certificate, country of residence, two adults | Home currency | US$60 equivalent | Fast turnaround locally |
| 8 | Police certificate, second country, one adult | Second country currency | US$85 equivalent | Applied by post from abroad, ten-week turnaround |
| 9 | Police certificate, third country, one adult | Third country currency | US$70 equivalent | Required a consular appointment and fingerprints |
| 9 | Fingerprint capture for the overseas certificate | Home currency | US$45 equivalent | Local police station, receipted |
| 10 | Settlement funds moved into a single account | Home currency | CA$28,000 equivalent, not spent | Money became untouchable from this date |
| 10 | Bank letter and certified statements | Home currency | US$40 equivalent | Reissued twice over the following months |
| 11 | Certified translations, second batch | Home currency | US$190 equivalent | Police certificates and bank letters |
| 12 | Invitation received, no fee at this stage | None | Nil | IRCC's window to submit the full application opened; confirm its current length with IRCC |
Cash spent in months seven to twelve: about US$490 equivalent. But the biggest line is the one where nothing was spent.
In month ten, the family moved about CA$28,000 equivalent into one account and left it there. Picture that money in a locked glass box. It is still yours. You can see it. You just cannot use it, and it stays locked through every fee that follows.
The police certificates teach the other lesson. One took days. One took about ten weeks by post. One needed a consular appointment before it could even be requested. The fees were small. The waiting was the problem. They had to start before the invitation, because a submission window measured in weeks cannot fit a ten-week certificate. Our guide to police certificates for every country you have lived in shows which ones you need.
The ledger: months thirteen to eighteen
| Month | Line item | Paid in | Approximate amount | Notes on timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Immigration medical examinations, four people | Home currency | US$620 equivalent | An IRCC panel physician, who sets their own fee; adults typically priced above children |
| 13 | Government application and processing fees, four people | Destination currency | US$1,900 equivalent | IRCC permanent residence application and processing fees, paid in a single online transaction |
| 13 | Right of permanent residence fees, two adults | Destination currency | US$800 equivalent | IRCC charges this fee for adults; dependent children are exempt |
| 13 | Biometrics, family rate | Destination currency | US$130 equivalent | IRCC applies a family maximum for biometrics |
| 14 | Travel to the visa application centre, four people | Home currency | US$180 equivalent | Overnight trip, nearest centre was not local |
| 15 | Reissued bank letter and updated statements | Home currency | US$40 equivalent | Requested during processing |
| 17 | Confirmation issued, no fee at this stage | None | Nil | Landing deadline tied to the medical validity date; confirm how yours is calculated with IRCC |
| 17 | One-way flights, four people, with excess baggage | Destination currency | US$4,100 equivalent | Booked five weeks out |
| 17 | Travel and interim health insurance, four people | Home currency | US$420 equivalent | Cover until provincial health insurance begins; some provinces apply a waiting period, so check with the province |
| 18 | Temporary accommodation, first month | Destination currency | US$2,600 equivalent | Furnished short let while searching |
| 18 | Rental deposit and first month on a permanent lease | Destination currency | US$3,400 equivalent | Paid in the arrival month |
| 18 | Household setup, phones, transit, winter clothing | Destination currency | US$2,200 equivalent | Coats and boots for four people |
Cash out in months thirteen to eighteen: about US$16,390 equivalent. From here it is a cash-flow problem, not a list of fees.
Month thirteen is the trap. It needed about US$3,450 in one four-week window, in destination currency, while CA$28,000 sat in the glass box. The settlement funds did their job just by existing. The fees had to come from somewhere else. Families who assume the settlement funds can double as the fee budget find out the hard way in month thirteen, when medicals, government fees and biometrics all land together.
Month eighteen costs more, but feels easier, because the settlement funds are finally released for what they were always meant for. The family spent about US$8,200 in their first weeks abroad, with a furnished short let instead of a hotel and no car.
What it costs: the totals
| Category | Approximate total | Currency it was mostly paid in | When it fell due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language tests, including one retake | US$750 equivalent | Home currency | Months 1 to 3 |
| Credential assessments, two adults | US$440 equivalent | Destination currency | Months 3 to 4 |
| Documents, translations, attestation, courier | US$890 equivalent | Home currency | Months 3 to 11 |
| Police certificates, three countries | US$260 equivalent | Three currencies | Months 8 to 9 |
| Medicals, four people | US$620 equivalent | Home currency | Month 13 |
| Government fees and biometrics | US$2,830 equivalent | Destination currency | Month 13 |
| Travel to appointments, bank letters | US$260 equivalent | Home currency | Months 14 to 15 |
| Process subtotal | US$6,050 equivalent | Mixed | Spread over 15 months |
| Flights and insurance, four people | US$4,520 equivalent | Mostly destination currency | Month 17 |
| First two months abroad | US$8,200 equivalent | Destination currency | Month 18 onward |
| Cash actually spent | US$18,770 equivalent | Mixed | 18 months |
| Settlement funds held, never spent | CA$28,000 equivalent, per IRCC's published table for four people | Held in home currency | Months 10 to 18 |
The process subtotal is the number people ask about, and it is the smallest block. The first two months abroad cost more than the whole immigration process. The settlement funds cost nothing, yet limit everything.
For country-by-country ranges instead of one family's sequence, see our breakdown of the true cost of migrating abroad.
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See what you get →Is this route even right for you?
Here is the honest part. The ledger is how you find out early.
- Can your household gather the settlement-funds figure and leave it untouched for months? If not, a no-job-offer route is closed for now. No paperwork skill replaces it.
- Is your occupation on the relevant skilled list? If not, the ledger never starts.
- Is your points score well below recent cutoffs, and your only lever a language retake you have already taken twice? Then look at employer-sponsored routes, where savings tests are waived, or another destination, before you spend another test fee.
The free eligibility check asks 6 questions (age, education, experience, English, target countries) and gives you a quick read on your options in 2 minutes.
How long it takes
Eighteen months is a middle case for a family on a no-job-offer skilled route. The time splits between what you control and what you do not.
- Months one to six are yours. Starting both credential assessments in month one, not months three and four, saves real time.
- Months seven to twelve belong to the pool. An invitation can take weeks or much longer, depending on moving cutoffs.
- Months thirteen to seventeen belong to the authority. Check IRCC's current processing time the week you need it.
- Month eighteen is a deadline. The landing deadline is generally tied to when the medical expires, so the medicals from month thirteen quietly set your flight date. Confirm with IRCC.
Start the slow items first. Police certificates and credential assessments take months and cost hundreds. Medicals and government fees take days and cost thousands.
Where to verify every figure
Do not budget from this article. Budget from these pages, read the week you plan to pay.
| What you are checking | Authority to check with | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent residence and biometrics fees, Canada | IRCC | Fee schedule revised periodically |
| Settlement funds by family size, Canada | IRCC | Re-published annually against the low income cut-off from Statistics Canada |
| Visa application charges, Australia | Department of Home Affairs | Typically revised at the start of the financial year on 1 July |
| Application fees and health surcharge, UK | UK Visas and Immigration | Revised on its own schedule, charged per person per year |
| Nursing registration and English requirements | The Nursing and Midwifery Council for the UK, Ahpra and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia | Registration standards and fees revised independently of visa fees |
| Recognition of foreign qualifications, Germany | The Anerkennung in Deutschland portal, run by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), which points you to the competent recognition body | Procedure and fees vary by profession and by federal state |
| Skilled migrant settings, New Zealand | Immigration New Zealand | Route settings and fees revised periodically |
| Departure clearance, Philippines | The Department of Migrant Workers | Applies to overseas Filipino workers; clearance requirements and fees are set separately from the visa |
| Emigration clearance, India | The Ministry of External Affairs, through the eMigrate portal | Applies to holders of ECR-endorsed passports travelling to notified destinations |
Every figure in this article is a planning figure. Every figure on those pages is the one you pay.
When this does not work
Spot your situation here and save yourself the first US$2,000.
Your savings cannot survive the freeze. The settlement funds must exist and stay still. If you must borrow to build them, or spend them during the wait, the route fails at month ten. IRCC requires these funds to be available, unencumbered and not borrowed, so a borrowed lump sum can sink a strong application. Check IRCC's current wording.
Your currency cannot get out. With capital controls or thin access to foreign currency, the payments in months thirteen and seventeen are harder than the amounts suggest. Plan how the money moves before you plan how much.
Your occupation is the blocker. If it is off the skilled lists that matter, no ledger helps. Fix the route choice before you book a language test.
You need to arrive within a year. If a family situation, visa expiry or job start sets a hard date, a no-job-offer route is a poor fit. An employer-sponsored route with a shorter clock may be better, even if it pays less at first.
A note on who you pay
Every payment here went to an official body, test provider, doctor, translator, courier or airline. None went to anyone promising an outcome.
Treat these as stop signs:
- A fee for a job offer. In Canada, an employer may not recover the labour market impact assessment fee from a worker, a rule run by Employment and Social Development Canada. Several other countries also ban charging workers for sponsorship. Check your destination's rule first.
- A guaranteed visa. No adviser controls the decision.
- Payment to a personal account. The clearest warning sign of all.
- An unregistered adviser. Search the registers: the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants in Canada, the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority in Australia, and the Immigration Advice Authority in the UK, which took over from the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
- Pressure to pay today without an official page behind the deadline.
Our guide to how to check a migration agent is licensed walks through the registers.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting a total instead of a schedule. A family with the right grand total, all locked in the settlement account, still cannot pay in month thirteen. Build the schedule first.
- Assuming one language test. Budget two sittings per adult, and be pleased if you need one.
- Booking medicals early. They expire quickly and often set your landing deadline. Book too early and you may pay for four medicals twice.
- Forgetting the second adult. Testing and assessing your partner costs money, but is often the cheapest points available. Decide on purpose, from month one.
- Treating arrival as an afterthought. Here, the first two months abroad cost more than every fee combined.
- Pricing in the wrong currency. Add a margin, and never sit exactly on the settlement-funds threshold, because it is converted at the rate on the day it is checked.
- Letting a document expire mid-process. Language results, skills assessments and police certificates all have clocks. Juggling them is what turns a fifteen-month process into a twenty-two-month one.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it really cost to immigrate with family?
For a family of four on a skilled route without a job offer, plan on US$6,000 to US$9,000 equivalent in process costs. Add a settlement-funds balance of about CA$28,000 for Canada, as IRCC publishes for four people, or your destination's figure. Then add US$8,000 to US$13,000 equivalent for flights, insurance and the first two months. In this ledger the cash handed over was about US$18,800, and a realistic planning band is US$15,000 to US$20,000. The amount you must control at once is much higher, because the settlement funds sit on top. Confirm every figure with the authority and a registered adviser.
Which single month costs the most during the process?
The month you submit the full application. Government fees, right of permanent residence fees, biometrics and medicals for everyone usually land within the same few weeks. In this ledger, that was about US$3,450 in destination currency, arriving just when your settlement funds are least available.
Can I use the settlement funds to pay the visa fees?
Not without risk. The balance must be available and unencumbered, and many routes expect to see it held steadily. Spending it on fees can drop you below the threshold on the day an officer checks. Keep fee money in a separate account.
Do children cost as much as adults?
Less, and unevenly. Children's medicals are usually cheaper, IRCC caps biometrics with a family maximum, and dependent children are exempt from the right of permanent residence fee. But each child raises the settlement-funds figure and adds a flight and setup costs.
How far ahead should I move the settlement funds into place?
Earlier than feels necessary. Routes differ on how long the balance must be held, and a sudden large deposit just before applying invites questions. Move it early, leave it alone, and keep a clear paper trail for any gifts. See our guide to proof-of-funds seasoning.
What happens to the ledger if my application is refused?
The process costs are gone. The settlement funds survive, because they were never spent. So your real downside is the process subtotal of about US$6,000 equivalent. A refusal does create a duty to disclose it on future applications, which needs careful handling.
The bottom line
The cost of migrating with a family is a schedule, not a number: a long cheap stretch of papers, one expensive month, a large sum that must sit still for half a year, and an arrival month that costs more than the whole application.
Write your own version of these tables with real dates. The worry at the kitchen table becomes a savings plan with deadlines. And if the sums do not work, better to know now than in month thirteen.
Take the free eligibility check first.
