Last verified: July 6, 2026 · Official source: canada.ca — Biometrics
General information, not legal or immigration advice. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.
Biometrics
BiometricsBiometrics: Fingerprints and a photo, collected at a Visa Application Centre or Service Canada location, used by IRCC to confirm your identity across every application you make. are required for most temporary and permanent resident applications — visitor visas, study permits, work permits, and permanent residence.
Who needs to give them
Most applicants aged 14 to 79 must give biometrics.
Generally exempt:
- Canadian citizens (including citizenship applicants and passport applicants)
- Existing permanent residents
- Children under 14
- Applicants over 79
- Heads of state or heads of government
- Certain visa-exempt nationals visiting only briefly
How long they're valid
Biometrics are valid for 10 years. If you gave biometrics for an earlier application within the last 10 years, they're automatically reused for your next visitor visa, study permit, work permit, or PR application — you don't need to give them again.
Cost
- CAD $85 per person
- CAD $170 per family (a group applying together)
When and where
IRCC sends an instruction letter (a "biometric instruction letter" or BIL) telling you where to go — usually a Visa Application Centre (VAC) outside Canada, or a Service Canada location inside Canada. You generally can't submit a complete application without completing this step when required.
Immigration medical exam (IME)
An IMEIME: Immigration Medical Exam — a health screening by an IRCC-approved panel physician, required for permanent residence and some temporary-resident applications, checking for conditions that could pose a danger to public health, public safety, or cause excessive demand on health/social services. checks that you don't have a condition that's a danger to public health or safety, or that would cause excessive demand on Canada's health or social services.
Who needs one
- All permanent residence applicants — and every family member included on the application, even if they aren't coming to Canada with you.
- Some temporary residents: if you've lived in or travelled for 6+ consecutive months through certain countries/territories in the year before coming to Canada, if your job requires protecting public health (e.g., some health-care or child-care roles), or if you're applying for a parent/grandparent Super Visa.
Who does the exam
You must see a panel physician — a doctor specifically approved by IRCC for immigration medical exams. Your family doctor can't do it, even if they're a licensed physician. Find one via the panel physician locator on canada.ca.
The panel physician doesn't decide whether you pass — they send results to IRCC, and IRCC makes the final determination.
Validity
Medical exam results are valid for 12 months. If your application takes longer than that to process, IRCC may ask you to redo the exam.
How these fit into your application
For Express Entry / PR applications, biometrics and the medical exam are typically requested after you submit your e-APR, alongside police certificates — see Step 6 of the Express Entry process. Start early: a panel physician appointment can take weeks to book, and if your medical exam expires before a decision, it can delay your case.
Where this fits
Part of the Permanent Residence hub, and one of the final steps in the Express Entry step-by-step journey.