Biometrics Exemption for Certain Canada Permanent Residence Applicants

Certain applicants for Canada permanent residence have been exempted from providing biometrics in a new measure designed to mitigate the impact of coronavirus restrictions.

The exemption, announced in a public policy effective September 22, covers permanent residence applicants who previously provided biometrics within the last 10 years.

Foreign nationals who are both inside or outside Canada are covered by the exemption.

“As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, most biometrics collection service points were temporarily closed,” said a statement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

“There is uncertainty as to when the full complement of biometric collection services in Canada and overseas will reopen and operate at full capacity.

“In the meantime, there is a growing inventory of applications for permanent residence that cannot be finalized because applicants are unable to fulfill the biometrics requirement.”

In order to qualify for the exemption, candidates must have:

A pending or new application for permanent residence.
Previously provided their biometrics within 10 years of the date of their PR application.

The new policy became operational on September 22 and is in effect until revoked by federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.

Temporary Workers

The latest policy follows a June 5 move to exempt certain temporary foreign workers crucial to the battle against coronavirus from having to submit biometrics before arrival.

The exemption applies to occupations in the following fields:

Agricultural and agri-food
Health-care
Truck drivers

The number of candidates affected by the change will be limited, as the majority of temporary workers in essential occupations have already given biometrics because they have previously worked in Canada.

Candidates may be asked to provide biometrics when they arrive at their Port of Entry, IRCC says.

Colin Singer

Colin Singer is an international acclaimed Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of immigration.ca featured on Wikipedia. Colin Singer is also founding director of the Canadian Citizenship & Immigration Resource Center (CCIRC) Inc. He served as an Associate Editor of ‘Immigration Law Reporter’, the pre-eminent immigration law publication in Canada. He previously served as an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Quebec and National Immigration Law Sections and is currently a member of the Canadian Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Colin has twice appeared as an expert witness before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He is frequently recognized as a recommended authority at national conferences sponsored by government and non-government organizations on matters affecting Canada’s immigration and human resource industries. Since 2009, Colin has been a Governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of the profession, and became a lifetime member in 2018.