The biometrics requirement for Canadian visas applies to most people applying for a visitor visa, a work or study permit, a permanent resident visa, or refugee/protected person status, and covers fingerprints and a personal photograph.
By collecting biometric data, the Government of Canada can process applications more quickly and simplify entry to Canada for low-risk travellers.
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Giving biometrics at a Visa Application Centre
Individuals applying for a visa for the first time from outside Canada will need to give their biometrics (fingerprints and photograph) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) authorised by the Government of Canada.
To find the VAC nearest you, seehere.
Travellers from visa-exempt countries coming to Canada as visitors with a validAn Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA)do not need to give biometrics. See the list ofcountries exempt from the biometrics requirement.
In Vietnam, Canada’s Visa Application Centre (VAC) has 2 locations, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City:
- Ocean Park Building, Room 207, 2nd Floor, 1 Dao Duy Anh, Phuong Mai Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi.
- REE Tower, Floor 3B, 9 Doan Van Bo, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.
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For permanent residence applications
The Government of Canada advises that anyone applying for permanent residence must give biometrics and pay the fee, regardless of whether they have given them before in support of a visitor visa, a study or work permit, or another permanent residence application.
Minimising delays
The Government of Canada offers the following advice for minimising delays
- Do not send your application by post. Apply online or in person at a Visa Application Centre.
- Pay all fees at the time you apply.
- Give your biometrics at the same time you apply in person at a Visa Application Centre, or within a few days of receiving the biometrics instruction letter.
- Allow for travel time when planning, if you need to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) or an Application Support Centre (ASC, if applying from the United States).
- Where possible, arrange for all family members applying for visas to attend the same VAC or ASC at the same time.
- If you have a temporary injury or decorative markings on your face or hands, wait until the injury has healed or the markings have faded completely.
- Temporary injuries or medical conditions are those likely to heal or improve over time, and include:
- A bandaged face or fingers because of a minor cut or burn,
- Rashes and other temporary skin conditions.
- If you have a permanent injury or medical condition affecting your face or hands, attend a VAC or ASC to have your photograph taken and to give whatever fingerprints are possible. Permanent injuries or medical conditions are those that do not heal or improve over time. Bring any documentation you have about your condition.
- If you are approaching your 80th birthday, note that VACs cannot collect biometrics from applicants aged 80 or over. If you are 79 when you apply but will turn 80 before giving your biometrics, you must contact your Canadian visa office to arrange for collection there. If you are in the United States, you may still attend your nearest Application Support Centre.
Candidates with multiple citizenships
Candidates with multiple citizenships must use the same travel document (a passport, for example) throughout the application process. That document should also be used when giving biometrics at a Visa Application Centre or an Application Support Centre (ASC) if applying from the United States.
Candidates who have already applied and wish to change the citizenship shown on that application must withdraw it. To do so, contact the visa office responsible for your country or territory. Once withdrawn, those candidates may submit a new application and pay the applicable fees. SeeCanadian immigration application processing fees.
Applications submitted in Canada
Applications submitted in person in Canada are handled atdesignated Service Canada locationsacross Canada.
Foreign nationals aged 14 to 79 must give biometrics if they apply from within Canada as:
- A foreign worker (including a work permit extension),
- An international student (including a study permit extension),
- A visitor who requires a visa (including an extension of stay),
- A permanent resident.
Biometrics are required for permit and visa extensions if the candidate’s previous results are no longer valid.
All permanent residence applications – family, economic and refugee – require biometrics.
Exceptions
Candidates in the following categories do not need to give biometrics in order to come to Canada:
- Canadian citizens, citizenship applicants (including passport applicants), and existing permanent residents.
- Visa-exempt foreign nationals coming to Canada as visitors with a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA).
- Children under 14.
- Applicants over 79 (there is no upper age exemption for asylum claimants).
- Heads of state and heads of government.
- Cabinet ministers and accredited diplomats of other countries and of the United Nations, coming to Canada on official business.
- Holders of a United States visa transiting through Canada.
- Asylum claimants or protected persons who have already given biometrics and are applying for a study or work permit.
- Temporary residence applicants who have already given biometrics in support of a permanent residence application currently in process.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about biometrics for Canada
For Canadian immigration purposes, biometric identification means collecting an applicant’s fingerprints and photograph for facial recognition.
It matters because it allows Canadian immigration authorities to identify anyone applying to come to Canada as a visitor, student, worker, permanent resident, asylum claimant or person seeking protected status. Biometric screening is used to protect the safety and security of Canadians and to preserve the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.
Collecting biometric identifiers (fingerprints and a facial-recognition photograph) is regarded as an effective tool for identifying individuals correctly. Collecting biometrics helps the Government of Canada speed up application processing and simplify entry to Canada for low-risk travellers.
Applicants need to give biometrics once every 10 years. They do not need to give them again until that 10-year period has ended.
Canadian immigration authorities advise those without a biometrics service point in their own country to find the nearest possible location. See thelist of VACswhere biometrics can be given.
In the United States, individuals may give biometrics at anApplication Support Centreauthorised by the Government of Canada.
Foreign nationals applying for a visitor visa, a work or study permit (US citizens excepted), permanent residence, or refugee or protected status will need to give biometrics.
Foreign nationals applying to come to Canada can check whether their biometric data is still valid on the information website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Seehere.
Applicants who apply online have 30 days to attend an official biometrics collection service point in person after receiving the biometrics instruction letter. IRCC may send this letter online or by post, and the applicant must bring a paper copy of it to the nearestVACto give their biometrics.
The Government of Canada charges an additional fee for biometric screening and processing, depending on whether the applicant applies as an individual, as a family or as a group. Read more about biometrics fees athere.
The Government of Canada states that fingerprints are encrypted and transmitted electronically over a secure internal system to the Canadian Immigration Biometric Identification System. Once the transfer is complete, the personal information is deleted from the database.
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