Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced plans to introduce mandatory biometric collection for all citizenship applications starting in 2026–2027. Fingerprints and facial recognition data will be required from all applicants, standardizing a practice currently only occasionally used for security checks. This aligns citizenship procedures with other IRCC programs, such as permanent residence and certain temporary resident applications, which already require biometrics.

Biometric Requirement Overview

Citizenship applicants will be required to provide fingerprints and a photograph. Currently, biometrics for citizenship are not required in most cases. The new policy will ensure all applicants are subject to the same identity verification process.