Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Forward Regulatory Plan
Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Digital Capture)
Enabling Acts: Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Description
Amendments are being proposed to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) to enable the use of digital capture technology, and specify how digital capture will work for different cohorts of immigration applicants (e.g. those with electronic passports, ‘ePassports’, and those without). These changes will allow Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to integrate digital capture processes into several of IRCC’s lines of business, including electronic travel authorisations (eTA) and temporary resident visas (TRV). Digital capture will enable the remote collection of clients’ passport information to auto-populate applications, reducing the possibility of data errors, and will further allow the authentication of clients’ passports at time of application.
IRCC proposes to advance these regulations in coordination with a separate proposal to expand the collection and use of biometrics in Canada’s immigration programs, which in tandem will strengthen the Department’s identity management and screening capacity, thus securing Canada’s borders and keeping Canadians safe.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
Regulatory cooperation efforts are not required.
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
Overall, the proposed regulatory change is expected to improve the integrity and efficiency of IRCC decisions by ensuring higher-quality data, authenticating clients’ passports at time of application, and enhancing identity management processes. This could result in net integrity benefits for Canadians.
The digital capture process would create an additional step (and potential extra costs) for foreign nationals applying for a visa or authorization to enter Canada, most notably eTA applicants. Stakeholders in Canada’s tourism industry may raise concerns about these changes potentially affecting a visitor’s decision to travel to Canada. At the same time, many travel destinations – including the U.S., UK, Australia, New Zealand, and soon the European Union – have comparable requirements.
These amendments are not expected to have significant impacts on international trade or investment.
Consultations
IRCC has conducted targeted engagement on this proposal with air industry partners through existing forums, through which industry representatives have signalled their high-level support for the use of the digital capture solution, and recognition of the benefits that could accrue from its implementation. Specifically, air carriers have noted that more accurate collection of data could cut down on instances where an individual may have a typo on their visa or eTA and are unable to board a flight. The public will also have the opportunity to comment on the proposed text of the regulations when they will be pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.
Further information
Additional information that supports this regulatory initiative can be requested from the departmental contact.
Departmental contact information
Tal Elharrar
Senior Director, Integrity Strategy and Identity Policy
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Email: Tal.Elharrar@cic.gc.ca
Telephone: (613) 261-6467
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan: April 1, 2026