Before flying to Canada for study or work purposes, eligible applicants must fulfill certain formalities, especially getting their biometrics taken. This ensures the identity of the qualified applicant who wishes to immigrate to Canada. Recently, the office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced some changes in the biometric requirement. Last year, foreign students wishing to pursue higher studies in Canada were asked to submit biometrics along with their study visa applications. Read on to learn more about the Canada visa time after biometrics.
The biometrics for the Canada Study Visa simply means capturing the applicant’s electronic fingerprints and a digital photo of the applicant, similar to the photo submitted in the visa application.
The Canadian immigration authorities use biometrics to ascertain the eligible applicants’ identities. This ensures transparency in the system and leaves no space for forging or morphing photos or identification resources, etc. Additionally, it makes the procedure faster for the Canada Study Visa. The applicants' credentials are usually stored in a safe and secure database managed by the federal government of Canada.
The Canada visa time after biometrics also includes the mandatory background check carried out by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Specific credentials of the applicants, like fingerprints, are matched against the fingerprint records of criminals, deportees, refugee claimants, and temporary resident candidates. If the fingerprints match those of people in these categories in the RCMP's existing records, the immigration authorities will review the Canada Study Visa applications. The decision made by visa officers on Canada Study Visa applications may have an impact on visa grants as well as processing.
Eligible applicants who have applied for immigration to Canada through the pathways or streams listed below must have their biometrics taken. It will be better for applicants from these categories to understand Canada visa time after biometrics as well as Canada visa processing time after biometrics:
Specific categories of applicants are exempted from getting their biometrics done, such as current citizenship holders, current permanent residents of Canada, dependents or children (under the age of 14), applicants aged 79 years and above, and so on.
The federal government of Canada’s ‘Check Status" tool on the official page helps applicants ascertain their biometric status while processing their visa or student visa application. This tool conveys the validity of biometrics to eligible applicants.
The biometrics of the applicants holding a Canadian Study Visa will be waived if they apply for a Canadian visa next time.
As per the official process, applicants who have submitted their biometrics in the last ten years for any category—work permit, study permit, or visitor visa—are not required to submit their biometrics again if they reapply for the Canadian visa during this duration. Their biometrics will be valid for at least a decade, beginning with the submission of biometrics. This rule even applies to applicants who have faced refusal or rejection of their applications. For the duration of at least ten years, even their captured biometrics will remain valid if they reapply for a Canadian visa during this period.
Applicants who are going for biometrics for a Canadian Study Visa need to pay a biometrics fee of $85 CAD for each person. This step helps Canadian study visa applicants receive an instruction letter in the shortest possible time, which further helps them submit their biometrics at the officially designated collection point.
After receiving the instruction letter, Canadian Study Visa applicants must book an appointment to submit their biometrics at the officially designated collection point after receiving the instruction letter. This step will save their time and resources. Also, the Canada Study Visa applications will not be processed without submitting an individual’s biometrics at the officially designated collection point.
Submissions of individuals' biometrics are stored in the safe database facility of the federal government of Canada. After receiving biometrics, the IRCC office begins processing eligible applicants' Canadian study visa applications.
The time it takes to respond or receive an instruction letter is determined by the immigration pathway and the time the applicants pay the biometric fee.
It is important to note that in categories such as Canada work permit, study visa, and visitor visa, the time taken by an applicant to submit biometrics is not included in the processing time of visa applications. Therefore, applicants should not delay submitting their biometrics after receiving the instruction letter because the application processing depends on the biometrics of individuals.
The IRCC office will not proceed with processing visa applications until it receives biometrics from applicants, including fingerprints and digital photographs.
Overall, applicants can get a Canada Study Visa in approximately 8 weeks or two months after submitting their biometrics at the officially designated collection point and submitting their Canada Study Visa applications to the office of IRCC for further action.
Applicants should keep in mind some below-mentioned practical steps to avoid any glitches while submitting biometrics for Canadian Study Visa -
Applicants should keep in mind the below-mentioned steps to avoid delay in the processing of Canadian visa applications -
The Canada visa processing time after biometrics for various immigration streams should be thoroughly understood by a reputable immigration consultant such as Signature Visas. To have a hassle-free immigration experience, Canadian immigration seekers must seek the correct guidance and support on the Canada visa processing time after biometrics from such experts. With the help of competent advice, the applicants can successfully migrate to Canada. Call us at +91-9911659888.
Check Your Eligibility