By Borden Lander Gervais |
The stated goal of the new regime is to make legitimate travel to Canada easier while protecting national security, preventing identity fraud and increasing information sharing.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) is expanding its Biometrics Program beginning July 31, 2018. The stated goal of the new regime is to make legitimate travel to Canada easier while protecting national security, preventing identity fraud and increasing information sharing with the “Migration 5 Partners” — Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Under the IRCC’s Biometrics Initiative, the population of visitors and newcomers required to provide biometrics to travel to Canada will be expanded significantly over a two-year period. As a result, everyone who applies for the following will be required to provide fingerprints and a photograph as part of the application process beginning July 31, 2018:
- a visitor visa;
- a work or study permit (excluding U.S. nationals);
- permanent residence; or
- refugee or asylum status.
Biometrics is the measurement of unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints and facial features, for the purpose of verifying identity with a high level of certainty. Biometric verification greatly reduces the chance that one individual could pose as, or be mistaken for, another.
Upon arrival in Canada, an applicant’s biometric information will be used by the Canada Border Service Agency (“CBSA”) to confirm the individual’s identity. Fingerprint verification will be possible at 19 Canadian airports and 38 ports of entry (“POE”).
Biometric information will be sent to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) to be checked against fingerprint records of criminals, refugee claimants, deportees, and temporary resident applicants to assist in determining whether an applicant is admissible to Canada. The biometric information will be valid for a 10-year period and will be shared with the Migration 5 Partners.
Applications filed online are supposed to receive a biometrics collection letter within 24 hours of submission. Upon receiving a biometrics collection letter, applicants must visit a Visa Application Center (“VAC”) or an Application Support Centre (“ASC”) in the U.S. to provide their biometrics. IRCC can only collect biometrics in support of an existing application; the system will not support up-front biometrics. There are currently 137 VACs in 95 countries globally and 135 ASCs in the U.S. IRCC has committed to increasing this number to at least 147 VACs in 99 countries as part of the Biometrics Initiative.
Visa-exempt foreign nationals eligible to apply for a work permit or study permit directly at the POE may enroll for biometrics upon their arrival in Canada. Biometrics must be reviewed prior to the favourable adjudication of a work permit or study permit at the port of entry. The RCMP has committed to a two-hour turnaround to review the biometrics. This is the stated service standard but responses have been generated within 15-20 minutes during the test phase.
Both the CBSA and IRCC will have the discretion to waive biometric collection in exceptional circumstances. In doing so, a temporary resident permit may be issued to a foreign national.
The cost of biometric collection will be C$85 per applicant, or a maximum of C$170 per family. Biometric information will be valid for a 10-year period.