Is the federal Foreign Buyer Ban still in effect?
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Direct answer
Yes, to at least January 1, 2027, but the exemptions matter more: permanent residents, refugees, and a non-Canadian buying jointly with a Canadian spouse. The federal ban took effect January 1, 2023 and an Order in Council extended it; its full name is the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act. The Act prohibits non-Canadians (any individual who is not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act) from purchasing certain residential property in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and Census Agglomerations (CAs), which covers virtually all of Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and most of the Lower Mainland and BC Interior. "Residential property" includes detached houses, semi-detached, condominiums, and buildings of three or fewer dwelling units. Penalties for breach: up to $10,000 fine plus a court-ordered sale of the property at no profit to the buyer. Key exemptions (under the Regulations) include international students meeting income/study-tax conditions, certain temporary work-permit holders, refugees, and a Canadian-citizen spouse exception. The Act is SEPARATE from BC's 20% Foreign Buyer Additional Property Transfer Tax (APTT): the federal Act is a prohibition, while the BC tax applies to transactions that are otherwise federally permitted.
Primary sources
- Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act · Government of Canada · retrieved
- CMHC on the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act · CMHC · retrieved
Backed by Fact Bank entries
- Federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act — Federal Act prohibiting most non-Canadians (and entities controlled by non-Canadians) from purchasing residential property in Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) and Census Agglomerations (CA).
Verified sources (3)· re-verified 2026-08-02Click to expand
Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.
- CMHCretrieved 2026-05-08Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Acthttps://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research/housing-research/consultations/prohibition-purchase-residential-property-non-canadians-act
- Government of Canadaretrieved 2026-05-08Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, S.C. 2022, c. 10, s. 235https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/p-25.2/
- Government of Canadaretrieved 2026-08-02· published 2024-02-04Government extending the ban on foreign ownership of Canadian housinghttps://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/02/government-announces-two-year-extension-to-ban-on-foreign-ownership-of-canadian-housing.html
ca.foreign_buyer_ban · v3View in Codex →Related questions
- What is BC's 20% Foreign Buyer Additional Property Transfer Tax?
- Can foreign buyers buy presales in BC?
- Can a foreign buyer take title with a Canadian spouse in BC?
- Can a non-resident own a BC vacation property?
- How does the BC PTT 20% Foreign Buyer Additional Tax stack with the federal Foreign Buyer Ban?
See also
