The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued a new public policy to  temporarily suspend biometric requirement for temporary residence applicants in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This implies that applicants currently living in Canada and who want to apply to extend their visas or permits (study, visit, work) can do so without paying the biometric fee and presenting themselves for biometrics, and still have their application processed. More so, applicants who have already submitted their application and paid biometrics fees will be refunded. This is also true for out of status applicants who wish to restore their status.

Biometrics in Canada is usually collected at a Service Canada location. However, Service Canada has stopped processing biometrics due to the pandemic, hence the decision by IRCC to suspend biometrics in order to meet the demands of applicants in Canada who have submitted or wish to submit their application to maintain status in Canada.

Prior to this change, all applicants, except temporary resident applicants with valid biometrics were required to provide biometrics with their application and pay the fee. Unfortunately, the biometrics exemption does not apply all permanent resident applicants whether or not they reside in Canada. Read more.

The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) resumes processing of online applications for visitor visas, transit visas and electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) amid restrictions on travel to Canada. They also announced they will continue to process only study permit and work permit applications submitted online. This means that all paper applications for temporary residence remain suspended until further notice. However, certain programs are exempt from the in-Canada mandatory electronic application.

The implication of this is that those who wish to submit an application to come to or remain in Canada temporarily, technically have one option if they wish to have a speedy response to their application – applying online. Although, this might seem like a difficult task for those who prefer the paper route, online application has many advantages over paper, one of which is lesser processing times.

You will recall that the IRCC, on April 29, 2020, announced the suspension of visa processing of non-essential visitor visas and some eTA applications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current lift of the suspension allows a wider group of people to submit applications, albeit online, and will help expedite people’s travel when travel restrictions are eventually lifted. Read more at IRCC.