August 21, 2024
Why Does IRCC Ask for Fingerprints for Citizenship?
In 2018, Canada rolled out new legislation for those looking to gain access to the country. Biometrics are generally required whenever people apply for a work permit, study permit, visitor visa, or permanent residence. Some people are exempt from submitting biometrics. They include children, those over the age of 79, and individuals who already have valid biometrics.
Biometrics include fingerprints and photos taken for background check and identification purposes, and are used to:
- Confirm your identity
- Prevent someone else from stealing your identity
- Check your criminal record
One does not have to submit biometrics when applying for Canadian citizenship. However, on some occasions, IRCC may request you to submit your fingerprints while the citizenship application is in process.
Fingerprints are used to conduct a criminal record check, and there may be other reasons for IRCC to request you to submit your fingerprints, such as:
- Quality Assurance. In these cases, the applicants are chosen randomly and may be requested to provide other documentation as well.
- A name and date of birth similar to the name and date of birth of another permanent resident / citizenship applicant (especially if that person had a citizenship application that was refused). In these cases, fingerprints are used to distinguish you form other people with similar names and dates of birth.
- A name and sometimes date of birth similar to someone with a criminal record.
You may provide your fingerprints to one of the following organizations:
- any local police service.
- any Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) office
- an RCMP-accredited fingerprint company that you may find online. If you use this service. bring your fingerprint request letter to the company.
In all cases, your fingerprints will be sent to the RCMP. They will run your fingerprints through a criminal database to look for potential matches.
After your fingerprints are requested, you should submit them within 30 days, following which it may take anywhere between a few weeks to a month to be processed. If you have a criminal record, processing times will take longer (up to 3 months).
Alexandra Goncharova
Alexandra Goncharova earned a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto) following an undergraduate degree in criminology at York University. Prior to joining Bellissimo Law Group PC, Alexandra worked for a number of years in the practice of immigration law with a focus on immigration inadmissibility and appeals. Alexandra also gained valuable experience and understanding of refugee law during her placement at the Refugee Law Office as a law student. She has extensive experience in immigration, citizenship and refugee applications and appeals and has volunteered for various community organizations. Alexandra is bilingual in English and Russian. At Bellissimo Law Group PC she works as a member of the Immigration Inadmissibility Team and is a passionate and tireless advocate for her clients.