Back in 2021, IRCC introduced a fee waiver that let Indigenous people, residential school survivors, and their families reclaim their Indigenous names on Canadian identity documents, passports, travel documents, citizenship certificates, and PR cards, at no cost. That was always designed as a five-year program, and it formally closed on May 30, 2026.
I wanted to flag this even though it sits slightly outside our usual Express Entry and work permit focus, because I know from client conversations how often these smaller administrative programs get missed entirely until someone needs them and the window has already passed.
What this actually means going forward
The ability to update your identity documents to reflect a reclaimed Indigenous name hasn't disappeared. You can still go through it. What's changed is that the standard administrative fees now apply where they were previously waived. In practical terms, this is a cost shift, not a loss of the underlying right.
If this applies to you or someone in your family and you're unsure which document process or fee structure now applies, we're happy to point you toward the right IRCC resource even if it's not something we directly represent clients on. Get in touch and we'll do our best to steer you correctly.