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Submitting biometrics is required for anyone (excluding US nationals) applying for IEC, visitor visas, work or study permits, or permanent residence status.
Shortly after submitting your IEC application (usually within a couple of days), you will receive a biometrics instruction letter (BIL) in your IRCC account. For IEC participants, you must wait to receive your BIL before booking your biometrics appointment. You cannot give your biometrics at any designated collection point until you have received the official BIL from IRCC as part of the application process.
After you submit your application and receive your BIL, you have 30 days in which to give biometrics.
Your biometrics can be collected at any Visa Application Centre (VAC) worldwide, even outside your country of citizenship. Once you have received your BIL, book an appointment with the VAC nearest to you. You can check the list of locations here. Note you may have to travel to a different city, state, or even country.
What to expect from your biometrics appointment
When you book your appointment, your chosen VAC will have their own instructions about arrival times, locations, etc.
When you arrive for your appointment, the VAC staff will ask to see your BIL as proof that you have paid the biometrics fee. You must bring a printed copy of the BIL and your passport to your appointment. Since it’s your biometrics being collected, you do have to attend the appointment in person!
During your appointment, they will scan your fingerprints (thumb and fingers on each hand) and take your photograph. It should only take a few minutes. The VAC will send the biometrics directly to IRCC; you do not need to upload the biometrics yourself.
After your biometrics appointment, you will wait to hear from IRCC with their decision on your application (covered in more depth in the next chapter). Your biometrics will now be valid for 10 years. If you apply for another permit in future and your biometrics are still valid, you can reuse them.
Biometrics FAQs
You need to bring your passport and biometrics instruction letter (BIL).
Not if you’re an IEC applicant. You have to wait until you receive your BIL, print it out, and bring the letter with you to your appointment. This is your proof that you’ve applied for an IEC permit and that you have paid the biometrics fee as part of your IEC application.
You should receive your BIL a day or two after submitting your IEC application.
Yes, you must book an appointment with your nearest VAC. They do not accept walk-ins.
After receiving your BIL, you have up to 30 days to submit your biometrics.
If you miss the deadline, your application will be refused. If you want to apply again, you’ll need to rejoin the pools and wait for another Invitation to Apply (ITA).
No. If you do not give biometrics in time, your IEC permit application will be refused.
Giving biometrics is mandatory. You will need to travel to the nearest VAC. This might be in a different part of your country, or in a different country altogether.
No, you’re not responsible. The VAC will send your biometrics to the IRCC visa office.
Yes. It can take an average of eight weeks for an application to be processed, so don’t panic if you don’t hear back immediately after giving biometrics!
The biometrics fee (CA$85) covers the cost of application handling at the VAC. The biometrics fee is part of the overall IEC fee you paid when submitting your application.
The Government of Canada will keep your fingerprints and photo in a secure database for 10 years from the date you gave your biometrics. If you apply for another permit and your biometrics are still valid, you do not have to give them again. If your biometrics are still valid, you will not have to pay the CA$85 biometrics fee again.
Yes, you still need to give biometrics. The Government of Canada collects your biometrics as part of your IEC permit application. This is different from the biometric data in your passport. The officers at the border will compare the biometrics you give to the biometrics in your passport.
If you haven’t given biometrics but mistakenly indicated in your application that you have, and your application is still processing (i.e. you haven’t been refused yet), you can still pay the biometrics collection fee here. Choose “Biometrics – per person” and proceed to payment.
Send your proof of payment, as well as a short letter explaining your mistake, via the IRCC web form. You will have to wait a few days before receiving your BIL.
Yes, you must still give your biometrics if you are applying from within Canada. Instead of using a VAC, you must give your biometrics in Canada at a designated Service Canada Office (SCO).
If you indicated on your application that you are already within Canada, you will need to pay the biometrics fee separate to the other IEC fees.
The quickest way to do this is to pay the biometrics collection fee here. Choose “Biometrics – per person” and proceed to payment. Send your proof of payment via the IRCC web form and wait a few days before receiving your BIL.
Otherwise, you can wait for IRCC to contact you with the request to pay the biometrics fee. It can take several weeks for them to contact you via your IRCC account. Learn more.
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