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September 24, 2020

Biometrics are no longer mandatory for some Canadian immigration candidates

Author By HSA Team Categories Business Visa, Education Visa, Immigration Visa, Student Visa, Tourism Visa

Biometric exemption for Canada immigration

Canada has decided to waive biometric requirements for some immigration candidates. In these biometric exemptions, these exclusions are applied for those permanent residence candidates who have submitted their biometrics in the previous 10 years. So, Canada will not require the biometric verification for those permanent residents who have submitted their biometrics in applications within the last 10 years.

 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has already taken measures for those applicants who were unable to submit their biometric submissions. The closures of Visa Application Centers (VACs) and service points have affected the procedures of thousands of permanent residence applicants. Whereas, those applicants had already submitted their biometrics in the previous applications. IRCC has also stated that Canada has higher growth rates of applications, but these applications cannot be handled due to the biometric requirements.

Effective Date

According to IRCC, this policy has been implemented on September 10. This policy came into regulation on September 22, 2020. This policy is expected to remain in effect indeterminately.

Eligibility:

The eligible applicants who are exempted from the biometrics collection requirements, whether they are in Canada or they are overseas or both with the following:

  • a pending application for permanent residence
  • a new application for permanent residence
  • Biometrics submitted within the 10-year duration

 

Biometrics:

The Biometrics are required for the foreign nationals who intend to obtain different types of Canadian visas, that are visitor visa, work permit, study permit (except for U.S. nationals), refugee status, asylum status, permanent residence, visitor record, or an expansion in the study or work permits. The applicants are asked to submit their credentials that include their fingerprints, photographs, and they are also required to pay a fee. The purpose to obtain these biometrics is to confirm the identity of the foreign nationals who are entering Canada