Canada has expanded its biometrics screening program

On July 31, 2018, the Government of Canada announced that all nationals from countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East are required to provide biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) if they are applying for a Canadian visitor visa, a work or study permit, or permanent residence.

What are biometrics?

The Canadian government has been using biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) for more than 20 years.

"The Government of Canada is committed to the safety and security of all Canadians. Canada has collected biometrics from asylum claimants since 1993, visa-required temporary residents from 30 nationalities since December 2013, and overseas refugee resettlement claimants since November 2014," said the Honourable Bill Blair, minister of border security and organized crime reduction. "Expanding biometrics requirements to more foreign nationals applying to come to Canada will further strengthen our borders and serve as an impediment to those seeking to come to Canada under false pretences."

Canada currently collects biometrics from in-Canada refugee claimants and overseas refugee resettlement applicants, individuals ordered removed from Canada and individuals from 30 foreign nationalities applying for a temporary resident visa, work permit, or study permit.

Systematic fingerprint verification allows border service officers to confirm a traveller's identity and better manage traffic flow at the border. According to the Canadian government, this will in turn make international travel a convenient, predictable and secure process for travellers with genuine identities.

Exemptions to biometrics expansion

The following individuals are exempt from the practice:

• Canadian citizens, citizenship applicants (including passport applicants), or existing permanent residents
• Visa-exempt nationals coming to Canada as tourists who hold a valid electronic travel authorization (eTA)
• Children under the age of 14
• Applicants over the age of 79 (there is no upper age exemption for asylum claimants)
• Heads of state and heads of government
• Cabinet ministers and accredited diplomats of other countries and the United Nations, coming to Canada on official business
• U.S. visa holders transiting through Canada
• Refugee claimants or protected persons who have already provided biometrics and are applying for a study or work permit
• Temporary resident applicants who have already provided biometrics in support of a permanent resident application that is still in progress

Temporary residents must provide their biometrics once every 10 years (those applying for a visa, or a study or work permit).

More than 70 countries are using biometrics in immigration and border management. Canada's Migration 5 partners – the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand – have implemented biometric programs; so have the 26 Schengen states in Europe, and other countries around the world like Japan, South Africa and India.