Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Replacement Documents (2024 Wildfires) Remission Order: SI/2024-36
Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 158, Number 16
Registration
SI/2024-36 July 31, 2024
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT
P.C. 2024-882 July 18, 2024
Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, considering that it is in the public interest to do so, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, makes the annexed Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Replacement Documents (2024 Wildfires) Remission Order under subsection 23(2.1)footnote a of the Financial Administration Act footnote b.
Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Replacement Documents (2024 Wildfires) Remission Order
Remission
1 (1) Remission is granted to any person who meets the conditions set out in subsection (2) of fees paid or payable set out in the following provisions, in respect of the replacement of a document:
- (a) items 3 to 8, 14 and 15 of the schedule to the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations;
- (b) item 6 of the schedule to the Citizenship Regulations;
- (c) subsection 308(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations; and
- (d) section 4 of the Consular Services Fees Regulations.
Conditions
(2) The conditions are the following:
- (a) at some time during the period beginning on April 1, 2024 and ending on November 30, 2024, the person was in, or had their residence in, an area in Canada affected by a wildfire;
- (b) the document was, while it was valid, lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible as a result of the wildfire;
- (c) the person, or a person acting on their behalf, makes an application to replace that document on or before November 30, 2024;
- (d) the application includes a declaration made by that person or the person acting on their behalf stating that the document was lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible as a result of the wildfire and
- (i) proof that, at the time that the document was lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible, the applicant was a resident of an area referred to in paragraph (a), or
- (ii) a declaration made by the applicant or the person acting on their behalf stating that, at the time that the document was lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible, the applicant was in the area referred to in paragraph (a); and
- (e) the fees in question have not been remitted under section 11 of the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order.)
Proposal
The Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to subsection 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act, has made the Certain Fees in Respect of the Issuance of Replacement Documents (2024 Wildfires) Remission Order (the Remission Order).
Objective
The purpose of the Remission Order is to remit associated fees for the issuance of replacement Canadian travel documents, permanent resident cards and certificates of Canadian citizenship that were lost, damaged, destroyed, or rendered inaccessible as a direct result of the 2024 Canadian wildfire season.
To provide support for those affected by the fires, fees relating to the replacement of documents for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Canada whose Canadian passports, or other travel documents, are lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible between April 1, 2024, and November 30, 2024, as a result of the 2024 Canadian wildfire season will be remitted under the Remission Order. Reimbursements of fees collected since April 1, 2024, if any, will be issued.
The objectives of the Remission Order for the 2024 Canadian wildfire season are consistent with the Government of Canada’s approach to other recent domestic natural disasters in which various fees were remitted for replacement documents issued to Canadian citizens and permanent residents whose documents had been lost, damaged, destroyed, or rendered inaccessible.
Background
The Government of Canada released its forecast and early modelling of weather trends for 2024. These metrics indicate that we may be facing another catastrophic wildfire season across the country. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are affected by wildfires in multiple ways; for example, essential legal status documents or passports may be lost, damaged, destroyed or rendered inaccessible due to damage to property or evacuation measures. The timely replacement of those documents provides individuals with evidence of status and identity that may be needed to obtain other assistance or to travel abroad for work or personal reasons.
To remit fees relating to the replacement of documents for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, a remission order is required pursuant to subsection 23(2.1) of the Financial Administration Act.
It is in the public interest to assist individuals whose lives are affected, many of whom are expected to experience a loss of income, loss of employment, unanticipated out-of-pocket expenses and interim costs pending insurance and provincial assistance. Costs for replacement of the above-noted documents would impose an additional burden on these individuals. Costs for biometrics fees, and the restoration or extension of temporary resident, student or worker status will be waived under a public policy and are not included in the scope of this Remission Order.
Implications
The Remission Order applies to fees relating to the replacement of documents for Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Canada whose Canadian passports or other travel documents are lost, damaged, destroyed, or rendered inaccessible between April 1, 2024, and November 30, 2024, as a result of the 2024 Canadian wildfire season, all of which fall under the responsibility of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. This should provide sufficient time for individuals to apply to replace documents that were lost during the wildfire season, which generally ends by mid-October. The Remission Order also applies to consular services fees for adult travel documents, which fall under the responsibility of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) collects consular service fees on behalf of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) for certain adult passports and other travel documents.
The Remission Order remits the fees under subsection 2(1) of the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations, subsection 31(1) of the Citizenship Regulations and subsection 308(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations for the replacement of certificates of identity, refugee travel documents, permanent resident cards and/or other travel documents for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as fees paid or payable under section 4 of the Consular Services Fees Regulations for the issuance of a travel document.footnote 1 The Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations specify the fees payable for requests for Canadian passports with a validity period of 5 or 10 years. No fees were charged for replacement passports with the same expiry date as the original document. However, associated fees, including express or urgent service fees and the consular service fee, were payable and require a remission order to extinguish the debt.
Financial implications
The total projected cost of foregone revenues from remitting fees paid or payable to the Crown for the replacement or issuance of permanent resident travel documents, citizenship certificates and Canadian travel documents is $27,490, including $3,650 for the consular services fee. These were calculated based on the projected volume of people who are reasonably expected to benefit from the measures, using historical data on past remissions. The exact amount of foregone revenues may differ from these estimates.
| Service provided | Volume | Fee waived | Foregone revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement fee for lost or stolen passport | 146 | $45 | $6,750 |
| Replacement fee for lost or stolen permanent resident card | 50 | $50 | $2,500 |
| Urgent service | 15 | $110 | $1,650 |
| Express service | 15 | $50 | $750 |
| Passport pick-up service (in Canada) | 146 | $20 | $2,920 |
| Expedited services — call back | 15 | $335 | $5,025 |
| Transfer fee | 15 | $45 | $675 |
| Adult certificate of identity | 0 | $235 | $0 |
| Child certificate of identity | 0 | $141 | $0 |
| Certificate of Canadian citizenship | 50 | $75 | $3,750 |
| Adult refugee travel document | 0 | $95 | $0 |
| Child refugee travel document | 0 | $57 | $0 |
| Consular services fee | 146 | $25 | $3,650 |
| TOTAL | $27,490 | ||
| IRCC | $23,840 |
|---|---|
| GAC | $3,650 |
Accountability implications
All remissions associated with the Remission Order will be reported in the annual GAC and IRCC fees reports and in GAC and IRCC public accounts, as required.
The fee remittance for travel documents, permanent resident cards and citizenship certificates only applies to documents for individuals impacted by the 2024 Canadian wildfire season.
Consultation
The Privy Council Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, Finance Canada, GAC, and Justice Canada were consulted on this proposal.
Contact
Selena Beattie
Director General
Migration Response Policy Branch
International Affairs and Crisis Response Sector
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Email: Selena.Beattie@cic.gc.ca