IRCC announced a new temporary public policy allowing permanent residence applicants to rely on biometrics previously submitted within the last 10 years.
Biometrics services have been unavailable for months due to COVID-19. Service Canada restricted in-person services in March 2020 and is slowly resuming certain services for immigration purposes. However, biometrics collection continues to remain unavailable.
IRCC is now allowing foreign nationals who have provided biometrics for an immigration application within the last 10 years to exempt from the biometric requirements in support of their pending or new application for Permanent Residence.
This is a temporary policy for permanent residence applicants that will allow IRCC to reuse their previous biometric information for screening purposes.
Who is exempt from giving biometrics?
Applicants are exempt to give their biometrics if they have both of the following:
a new or pending application for permanent residence made from within or outside Canada
already submitted their biometrics in support of an immigration application within the last 10 years
What about the biometric fee?
Applicants should not pay the biometric fee ($85 CAD) for a new application for permanent residence, even if the system asks them to pay it when they submit their application.
If an applicant has a pending permanent residence application for which they have already paid the biometric fee, and they are exempt under this public policy, IRCC will process their application and send them a refund for the biometric fee.
Our Services
Calver and Associates is a leading provider of Canadian Immigration services in Durham Region. We serve clients in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, and beyond. Our Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant has over 10 years of experience in Canadian Immigration law and over four years of experience serving those in the Oshawa area.
We can provide assistance with applications for both temporary and permanent residency in Canada. We handle applications for study permits, permanent residency, family class sponsorship, visitor visas, work permits, and Canadian citizenship. We also handle criminal inadmissibility cases by developing remedies for refusal.
