- As Pvtistes, biometrics are required for IEC applicants (except US nationals), and you'll receive a BIL in your IRCC account a day or two after you apply. - Wait for the BIL before booking your biometrics appointment; you cannot give biometrics without it. - You have 30 days after receiving the BIL to submit biometrics. - Biometrics can be collected at any VAC worldwide; you must book an appointment (no walk-ins) at a nearby VAC, and you may need to travel. - Bring the printed BIL and your passport; attend in person as fingerprints and a photo are taken and sent to IRCC. - Biometrics remain valid for 10 years and can be reused if still valid; missing the 30 days will refuse your IEC.Show more
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.
It is very important to buy the right working holiday insurance before heading to Canada. We’ve been recommending Globe WHV by ACS since 2005.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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:
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.
I am currently looking to apply but the pool for uk are very limited if I applied and I was unsuccessful and the rounds closed for 2025 would I say in the pools for 2026 or would I have cancel my application. Also is there a cool off period before you can apply again?
Hi, I'm currently applying, but I have one doubt, and haven't found definitive answers online. I'm an Italian citizen, with a permanent address in Italy, but I'm currently living in Amsterdam. When inputting the personal information, they ask for both the permanent country of residence (Italy), and current country of residence. Am I supposed to say "the Netherlands" for the latter, even if I never changed my residence to the Netherlands?
Hi,
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.
Hi, I'm currently applying, but I have one doubt, and haven't found definitive answers online. I'm an Italian citizen, with a permanent address in Italy, but I'm currently living in Amsterdam. When inputting the personal information, they ask for both the permanent country of residence (Italy), and current country of residence. Am I supposed to say "the Netherlands" for the latter, even if I never changed my residence to the Netherlands?
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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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