Biometrics for a Canadian application: where, when and how long they last

Most people treat biometrics as a formality: a short appointment, some fingerprints, a photo, done. The appointment itself is simple. What goes wrong is everything around it. Applicants miss the deadline on the letter, assume old biometrics cover a permanent residence application, or discover that their visa was issued for less time than they expected because their fingerprints were nearly ten years old.

This page sets out what Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) actually requires: who has to give biometrics, when, where, and how long they count for. It is written for applicants outside Canada, because that is where most of these appointments happen.

What biometrics are, and who has to give them

For Canadian immigration purposes, biometrics means your fingerprints and a digital photo, given in person at an official collection site. IRCC states that, unless you are exempt, you need to give them when you apply for temporary residence, permanent residence, an extension of your stay, or refugee or asylum status.

In practice, that captures visitor visas, study permits and work permits for most nationalities, and virtually every permanent residence application. The temporary residence rule has a carve-out for US nationals: IRCC lists initial work or study permits and extensions as requiring biometrics "excluding US nationals".

What happens to them afterwards is also worth knowing. IRCC states that your fingerprints and photo are shared with the Canada Border Services Agency so it can verify your identity when you arrive in Canada, and that they may also be shared with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The collection site itself does not keep them: IRCC says the information is deleted from the collection system once it has been sent on.

Who is exempt

IRCC publishes a fixed list of people who do not need to give biometrics. The ones that matter most to ordinary applicants are:

• Children under the age of 14.
• Applicants over the age of 79, except asylum claimants, for whom IRCC states there is no upper age exemption.
• Canadian citizens and citizenship applicants, including passport applicants.
• Existing permanent residents, with a narrow exception for permanent resident cards described below.
• Visa-exempt nationals coming to Canada to visit only, and visa-exempt visitors applying to extend their stay.
• US visa holders transiting through Canada.
• People applying for a visitor visa, study permit or work permit who have already given biometrics for a permanent residence application that is still being processed.

Heads of state and government, and applicants who qualify for or hold a diplomatic or official visa, are also exempt.

The age rule is applied on one specific date. IRCC states: "We use the age you were when you submitted your application." A parent who was 79 when the application went in still has to give biometrics after turning 80, and a child who was 13 at submission does not need to give them for that application even if they turn 14 while it is processed. Get the submission date right before you rely on either exemption.

When you give them: the letter and the 30-day window

You do not book an appointment first and apply later. The order is fixed. You pay the biometrics fee when you submit your application, unless you are exempt. IRCC then issues a biometric instruction letter, usually shortened to BIL, confirming that you must give biometrics and explaining how to book. Online applicants receive it in their IRCC account.

The collection site will not take your biometrics without that letter. IRCC's guidance on visa application centres states that they "will collect your biometrics after you have received a biometric instruction letter." You bring the letter and your valid passport to the appointment.

The deadline is short. IRCC states: "You have 30 days from the time you get your BIL to give your biometrics." IRCC also advises booking as soon as you receive the letter. If you genuinely cannot attend before the letter expires, IRCC says to use its web form to explain why you need more time, including details such as your appointment date and a screenshot of the booking confirmation.

Two more points from IRCC's own instructions. You must use the letter issued for the current application. IRCC warns that using a letter from a previous application may delay your application or lead to a refusal. And if your fingerprints are of poor quality, IRCC says you may be asked to give biometrics again later. Healed hands, and no henna, matter more than people expect.

Where to give them

Where you go depends on where you are, and every option needs an appointment. IRCC states simply: "You need to make an appointment to give your biometrics."

A note on fraud, because it is real. IRCC states that booking a VAC appointment is free and tells applicants: "Don't pay anyone for an appointment." It also advises finding collection sites only through its official website. If someone offers to secure a slot for a fee, or sends you a link to a booking site you did not find through canada.ca, treat it as a scam.

The 10-year rule for visas and permits

For temporary residence, biometrics last a long time. IRCC states: "Your biometrics are valid for 10 years." If you gave them within the last ten years, they are attached automatically to a new visitor visa, study permit, work permit or extension application, and you do not give them again.

The catch sits in the next sentence. IRCC states that it "can't issue your visa or permit beyond the expiry date of your biometrics." Your document can also never outlast your passport. So if your fingerprints were taken nine years ago, a new visa can be issued for at most the year that remains, even if you would otherwise have received something much longer.

IRCC's answer is voluntary re-enrolment. Its Help Centre says that if you want a visa or permit for a longer period, "you should give your biometrics voluntarily when you apply, even if your previous biometrics are still valid." You do this by paying the biometrics fee with the application, waiting for the new letter, and attending an appointment.

Timing is everything here. IRCC states that once your visa or permit has been issued, you cannot give biometrics again to extend that document. To get a longer one, you apply again, pay again and give biometrics again. Find out when your current biometrics expire before you apply, not after. IRCC says you can check whether they are still valid, and when they expire, using its Check status tool.

Permanent residence: every application, every time

This is where the ten-year rule trips people up. It applies to temporary residence. Permanent residence works differently, and IRCC is blunt about it.

You must give your biometrics every time you apply for permanent residence, even if you've already given them.

IRCC, Biometrics: permanent resident applicants

Biometrics from a visitor visa three years ago, or a study permit last year, do not carry over to an Express Entry, provincial nominee or sponsorship application for permanent residence. Plan for a fresh appointment for every family member who is not exempt.

The rule does run the other way. If you have given biometrics for a permanent residence application that is still open, IRCC says it will reuse them for a visitor visa, study permit or work permit application, and you do not need to give them again. That reuse ends with the permanent residence file. IRCC states: "If your permanent resident application is refused, you can't use your biometrics for any future applications."

Once you are a permanent resident, you generally do not give biometrics for a permanent resident card or a permanent resident travel document. The exception is someone who was exempt as a child when they applied for permanent residence. IRCC states that if you are now 14 or older and are applying for your first card after arriving, or renewing it, you must give biometrics.

After a refusal, and other common mistakes

IRCC is specific about refusals: "If your application has been refused, don't try to give your biometrics." You give them again only if you reapply, pay the fees and receive a new letter for the new application. Turning up with the old letter achieves nothing and, by IRCC's own warning, can cause delay or refusal of the new application.

The other mistakes we see repeatedly are simple and avoidable:

• Assuming that biometrics given for a visa cover a later permanent residence application. They do not.
• Letting the 30 days run while waiting for a convenient appointment, without telling IRCC through the web form.
• Booking through an unofficial site or paying an agent for an appointment that is free.
• Applying for a visa with nearly expired biometrics and being surprised by a short validity.
• Getting the age exemption wrong because the age was checked on the wrong date.

IRCC publishes current processing times on canada.ca. Check them there, and remember that IRCC warns that paying the biometrics fee late may cause delays. Most of the biometrics stage is in your hands, so treat it as the part of the file you can control.

How long do I have to give my biometrics after I apply?

IRCC states that you have 30 days from the time you get your biometric instruction letter. Book as soon as the letter arrives. If you cannot attend in time, use IRCC's web form to explain why you need more time before the letter expires.

I gave biometrics for a visitor visa five years ago. Do I need to give them again for a study permit?

Usually not. For temporary residence, IRCC states that biometrics are valid for 10 years and are attached automatically to new applications. Your new permit cannot be issued past the date your biometrics expire, so you may choose to give them again voluntarily if you want a longer document.

Do my old biometrics count for my permanent residence application?

No. IRCC states that you must give biometrics every time you apply for permanent residence, even if you have already given them.

My child is 13. Do they need biometrics?

Children under 14 are exempt. IRCC uses the age at the date the application was submitted, so a child who is 13 on that date does not need to give biometrics for that application.

There is no visa application centre in my country. What do I do?

IRCC states that if there is no VAC in the country or territory you are applying from, you can go to any other VAC location. If you are legally in the US, you can also use a US application support centre.

Can I pay someone to get me an earlier appointment?

No. IRCC states that VAC appointments are free and tells applicants not to pay anyone for one. Use only the collection sites listed on IRCC's official website.

If you are planning a permanent residence or family application and want the biometrics, medical and police certificate steps mapped out before you submit,Book a consultation

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