Biometrics
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
Can I give my biometrics before receiving my 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.
What is the biometrics fee for?
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.
I’m already in Canada. Do I still have to give biometrics and is the process any different?
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.
Failure to give biometrics in time is one of the common mistakes people make during the IEC application process. Learn more about what to avoid in:
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(4)Comments
At the end of every season the pools are emptied and you have to make a new inscription the next season. Yes, in general season stops around october/november and the new season starts end of december, beginning of january.
To ask a whv in Canada Italian have de be resident in Italie. IRCC says : "prove that you are a resident of Italy at the time of submitting your application;"
So for you its better to mention Italie as country of residence and not the Netherlands. If you mention the Netherlands you won't be able to enter the pool.
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