{"id":2860,"date":"2019-01-25T00:41:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T00:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/?p=2860"},"modified":"2021-09-15T13:55:36","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T19:55:36","slug":"expansion-of-biometric-enrollment-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/expansion-of-biometric-enrollment-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Expansion of Biometric Enrollment Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Expansion of Biometric Enrollment Program (as\nof December 31, 2018)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government of Canada has expanded their collection of biometric\ninformation (fingerprints and digital photographs) to all temporary resident\nvisa, work permit, study permit, and temporary resident permit applicants\n(excluding U.S. nationals), and all Permanent Resident applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since July 31, 2018, applicants from Europe, Africa and the Middle\nEast have been required to provide biometric information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of December 31, 2018, applicants from Asia, Asia-Pacific and the\nAmericas are required to provide biometric information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Please note that U.S. nationals are exempted from biometric\ninformation collection when applying for a work permit, study permit or\ntemporary resident permit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once applicants provide their biometric information, this information will be valid for ten (10) years. Biometric information will need to be resubmitted once the ten (10)-year validity period expires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-Canada Applicants \u2013\nTemporary Exemption from providing Biometric Information<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, applicants applying for a visitor visa, study permit or work permit, or permanent residence from within Canada, are exempt from providing biometric information until the in-Canada service is established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will provide further updates once IRCC releases additional information on their in-Canada service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exemptions from providing\nBiometric Information<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please see the following link for IRCC\u2019s list of exemptions from the\nbiometric enrollment program: https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees\ncitizenship\/campaigns\/biometrics\/facts.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applicants falling within these categories are not required to\nprovide biometric information to visit Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biometric Fee<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the regular visa application fee, a biometric fee of\n$85 CAD per person will apply. Families applying together for a visitor visa\nwill only pay a maximum biometric fee of up to $170 CAD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government of Canada recommends that applicants pay the biometric\nfee at the time of application submission in order to reduce any processing\ndelays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applicants can claim an exemption from the biometric fee provided\nthat they qualify for an exemption under section 315.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations <\/em>(IRPR<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the applicant does not qualify for an exemption from the biometric fee and is required to pay the fee, they will be contacted by IRCC about fee payment options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing Biometric Information at a Visa Application Centre (VAC)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If applying outside of Canada, applicants must submit their biometric\ninformation at a Government of Canada authorized Visa Application Centre (VAC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After submitting an online application and after having paid the\nbiometric fee, applicants will receive a Biometric Instruction Letter through\ntheir IRCC portal.  Applicants have thirty (30) days from the date of the\nletter to present themselves at a VAC to give their biometric information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biometric Instruction Letter is proof that the applicant has paid\nthe biometric fee or that they have claimed an exemption from the biometric\nfee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When submitting biometric information at the VAC, applicants who\napplied online, will need to bring with them, the Biometric Instruction letter\nand the passport or travel document that they referenced in their application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of whether the applicant submits their application online or at a VAC, VAC staff will ask to see proof that the applicant has paid the biometric fee before taking the applicant\u2019s biometric information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing Biometric Information\nat a Port of Entry<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applicants who are eligible to apply for a work permit or a study permit at a designated port of entry can provide their biometric information upon arrival in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biometric Verification \u2013\nEntering Canada<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Canadian Border Services officer will compare the Applicant to the\nphotograph in the Applicant\u2019s passport or travel document and to the photograph\ntaken when the Applicant provided their biometric information. The Applicant\nmay be asked to provide their fingerprints again to confirm their identify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note that there is no fee for biometric verification<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Expansion of Biometric Enrollment Program (as of December 31, 2018) The Government of Canada has expanded their collection of biometric information (fingerprints and digital photographs) to all temporary resident visa, work permit, study permit, and temporary resident permit applicants (excluding U.S. nationals), and all Permanent Resident applicants. Since July 31, 2018, applicants from Europe, Africa… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2860\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderslawfirm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}