Canada has expanded its permanent and temporary immigration requirements to include biometrics - the measurement of unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints and facial features. The new requirements, introduced on July 31, 2018, aim at lowering the risk of misidentification of travelers to Canada and at making processing quicker at the border. 

Canadian employers and their temporary foreign worker employees must be aware of these requirements in order to avoid unnecessary delays in business travels, or even the refusal of work permit and permanent residence applications. 

Who needs biometrics

Fingerprints and a photo are now mandatory for most citizens from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa applying for a visitor visa, a work or study permit, permanent residence, or refugee status. 

Over the next few months, these biometrics requirements will continue to expand to applicants from Asia, Asia Pacific, and the Americas.

There are several exemptions from this requirement, including:

  • Canadian citizens, citizenship applicants (including passport applicants), or existing permanent residents;
  • applicants under the age of 14 or over the age of 79;
  • U.S. visa holders transiting through Canada; and,
  • temporary resident applicants who have already provided biometrics in support of a permanent resident application that is still in progress

Those applying for a visa, study or work permit, or permanent residence from within Canada are also temporarily exempt until in-Canada service centers are established in 2019.

How it works

Applicants can submit their biometrics at a Visa Application Center ("VAC") close to their location. Application Support Centers ("ASC") are also available in the United States and select US overseas territories for biometrics collection. 

Alternatively, applicants can give their biometrics at temporary locations at certain offices in Europe if VAC or ASC services are not available close to them. 

Persons who are eligible to apply for study or work permits at a Canadian port of entry can submit their biometrics together with their application at select point of entry ("POE") locations. 

Individual applicants must pay a fee of $85 to submit their biometrics. Families applying at the same time must pay a total fee of $170. Groups of three or more performing artists and their staff who apply for work permits at the same time pay a maximum total fee of $255. 

Once given, biometrics are valid for 10 years. Applicants can check if their biometrics are still valid online using Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's Status Tool.

Key points

Work permit and permanent residence applications that require biometrics will not be processed until biometrics are submitted. Delay in providing biometrics might therefore delay entry into Canada. Applications may be refused for being incomplete if the applicant fails to submit biometrics within 30 days of receiving a request to provide them. 

In order to reduce application refusals or processing delays, we recommend the following:

  • Apply online or in person at a VAC rather than mailing in the application, if this is an option.
  • If in-person applications are an option, give biometrics together with the application at the VAC, or if in-person applications are not an option, submit biometrics within a few days of receiving the Biometric Instruction Letter.
  • Pay both the application fee and the biometrics fee when submitting the application.
  • Consider travel time to visit the closest VAC or ASC to provide biometrics. The time it takes to give biometrics is not included in the estimated processing times for visitor visas, study, or work permit applications.
  • If possible, have family members making an application go together to the same VAC or ASC to submit their biometrics.
  • Applicants must have their whole face visible when having their photograph taken. If an applicant covers his or her head or face for religious or cultural reasons, he or she may request to have the photo taken by an operator of the same gender and may ask for a privacy curtain.
  • If an applicant has a temporary injury or condition affecting his or her face or hands, it is important to wait until the injury or condition has subsided before giving biometrics.
  • If an applicant has a permanent injury or condition affecting his or her face or hands, he or she may bring any documentation about the injury or condition to a VAC or ASC when giving biometrics.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.