CIMM – Security Screening for Afghan Nationals and Barriers to In-Country Biometrics – February 8, 2023

Implicated Recommendations:

Recommendation #3 – IRCC to create emergency mechanisms including waiving biometrics

Recommendation #17 – Waive biometrics and other documentation requirements

Key Messages

• Biometric information provides our Government with a reliable and accurate tool for establishing and confirming a person’s identity.
• Given the challenges and risks associated with the establishment of in-country biometric screening capacity in Afghanistan, we have implemented a multi-stage approach to security screening. Under this modified approach, initial admissibility screening can be conducted while clients are in Afghanistan, followed by full admissibility screening, utilizing biometrics, once clients arrive in a third country.
• With the help of partners in the region, we are working to support the movement of clients to third countries, where we have bolstered existing biometrics capacity, so that we may complete security screening and enable travel to Canada.
• The Government of Canada will continue to work with multiple partners, including the International Organization for Migration, to explore potential options for biometrics collection in Afghanistan.

Supplementary Messages

Importance of Biometrics (#17)

• Given that identity verification via biometric collection is an integral component of the immigration process, the Government of Canada disagrees with the recommendation to waive biometric requirements.
• Biometrics collection is mandatory for all foreign nationals between the ages of 14 and 79 who are applying for, claiming or requesting temporary residence, permanent residence or refugee protection, unless otherwise exempted (e.g. electronic travel authorization applicants, United States [U.S.] nationals).

Obstacles for In-Country Biometrics Collection

• Canada is not unique in being unable to collect biometrics in Afghanistan. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is engaging with its allies to collaborate on solutions that would allow for biometrics collection in Afghanistan. Despite best efforts, none of our like-minded allies have been successful in establishing biometrics collection in Afghanistan.
• Determining how best to ensure client and employee safety, and protect the biometrics equipment and client personal information is extraordinarily challenging in the Afghanistan context.
• These security concerns also apply to our private sector and/or non-governmental organization partners. The safety of both IRCC personnel and partners remains paramount for the Government of Canada.

Responsive on Technical Limitations of some Proposals

• The Department has explored numerous options for in-country collection, including the use of a smartphone solution.
• [Redacted] have carried out tests of biometrics collection via smartphones which demonstrated that such solutions do not capture fingerprints with sufficient quality, accuracy or consistency to search against available [Redacted] repositories. This is of particular importance in the Afghan context, as most Afghan clients do not have Canadian immigration history and thus no biometrics stored in [Redacted] repositories.
• As a result, Canada and partner countries, such as [Redacted] are of the view that smartphone-based biometric collection technologies are not yet of sufficient quality to support immigration security screening.
• In the interim, all efforts continue to be made to ensure sufficient biometrics collection capacity in countries neighboring Afghanistan.