Biometrics for Canada

Almost everyone applying for temporary residence must provide them, but a few people are excused. The official biometrics page names these groups:

• US nationals applying to stay in Canada temporarily
• Kids younger than 14
• Applicants over the age of 79

That age cutoff does not cover asylum claims. If you claim asylum, you provide biometrics even past age 79.

There is a single fee per person, and a maximum that families or groups pay when they apply together. These amounts are listed on the Government of Canada biometrics page.

So a family of four that applies together pays CAN$170 or less for the whole family.

Once your application and payment go through, you get a biometric instruction letter, usually called a BIL. It confirms that biometrics are needed and shows where you can go. An appointment is required to give your biometrics, so walking in without one will not work.

1. Go through your BIL with care, since it spells out your next steps.
2. Pick a location, for instance a visa application centre nearby. These centres take biometrics and paperwork for Canadian applications.
3. Set up your appointment at that location.
4. Take the BIL along, so the staff can see why you came.

From the time you get your BIL, you have 30 days to give your biometrics. Booking sooner rather than later is wise, because the day you prefer may already be taken.

When the BIL runs out before you can give biometrics, the Government of Canada wants you to explain through its web form why you need extra time. You will find that form on the page listing biometrics locations.

While you are in the US, a US Application Support Center or a visa application centre are the two places where your biometrics can be given. Either option only works if you are already in the country legally.

Fingerprints have to be captured electronically. Prints taken any other way will not count, and you will have to redo them at one of the collection points the Government of Canada has approved.

Not everyone qualifies. A port of entry means the airport or land crossing where you come into the country. To give biometrics there, two conditions apply, and one says you must qualify to request a study or work permit right then.

When either condition is missing, you will need a different approved location to give your biometrics. The Government of Canada asks you to check your eligibility first, so you do not show up only to be turned away.

Below are some ports of entry from the official list. Each link opens the page for that site.

The Government of Canada page lists many more locations than the ones shown here.