Canada Plans Facial Biometric Verification for eTA Applicants Under 2026 Budget, With CAD $90 Million Earmarked for Expansion
OTTAWA, 11 November 2026 – Canada is moving closer to requiring visa-exempt foreign nationals applying for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to submit a facial image remotely as part of the application process, under a plan funded in the 2026 federal budget tabled on 5 November. The budget proposes CAD $90 million over four years, starting in 2027–2028, for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to expand biometric screening, including the remote collection of facial images for eTA applicants. The direction has been formally recorded in IRCC's Forward Regulatory Plan since 16 July 2025, which states that amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations would “introduce a new biometric requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals applying for Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to visit Canada”. The regulatory proposal is published on the official IRCC Forward Regulatory Plan page, and the current eTA rules remain set out on the official eTA information page.
What the Budget Proposes and Why It Matters
The CAD $90 million allocation is intended to allow IRCC to extend biometric checks—relying on fingerprints and facial images—to more travellers, with eTA applicants explicitly identified as a target group. The stated objective is to strengthen identity verification and reduce the risks of document fraud or identity theft, according to the regulatory plan’s description of the amendments. In practical terms, travellers from visa-exempt countries who currently apply for an eTA by submitting biographical and passport information online would need to add a remote facial image submission—for example, by taking a photograph or scanning their face through a device—so that Canadian authorities can compare the image against the passport photograph before departure.
The regulatory plan acknowledges that the change 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,” while noting that many comparable destinations—including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and soon the European Union—have adopted similar biometric requirements. The plan also flags that tourism industry stakeholders may raise concerns about the effect on visitor decisions, but concludes that the amendments are not expected to have significant impacts on international trade or investment.
Technical Details Remain Unresolved
The budget confirms the policy direction and the funding envelope, but it does not specify how the facial image would be collected. Canadian authorities have not indicated whether the image would be captured directly on the application portal, through a mobile phone, or via a dedicated application. The budget document also does not detail the image comparison procedures or any additional checks that might accompany the facial verification.
This means that the operational design of the requirement is still to be settled through the regulatory process. The IRCC Forward Regulatory Plan states that the initiative is “in the early stages of development” and that the public will have the opportunity to comment when the proposed regulations are pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. Until that pre-publication occurs, the precise technical conditions, the treatment of different categories of travellers, and any associated fee changes remain undefined.
Regulatory History: From Plan to Budget
The biometric eTA proposal is not a new idea introduced in the 2026 budget. It has been on IRCC's regulatory agenda since July 2025, when the department added the amendments to its Forward Regulatory Plan. The plan explains that the changes would expand IRCC's authority to collect and use biometrics across temporary resident, permanent resident, and refugee protection programs, with the eTA requirement as the most notable new element.
The eTA framework itself has been subject to separate regulatory activity. The Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Electronic Travel Authorization), registered as SOR/2026-87 and published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on 3 June 2026, expanded partial visa exemption eligibility to citizens of Indonesia and Malaysia holding a valid US non-immigrant visa or a Canadian visa issued in the past 10 years. That instrument is separate from the biometric proposal, but it illustrates that the eTA program is being actively amended through the formal regulatory process. The biometric requirement would require its own amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, followed by pre-publication and consultation before any final rule takes effect.
A Broader Biometric Strategy Beyond eTA
The eTA measure sits within a wider federal push on biometrics and digital identity. The 2026 budget also provides CAD $4.3 million over four years, starting in 2026–2027, for Transport Canada to develop a strategy on traveller biometric data, aimed at simplifying and accelerating air travel, including through the possible use of digital identity documents. The strategy is intended to facilitate the passage of travellers through airports and points of entry, involving airlines, airport operators, security services, and border authorities. The government has also announced the appointment of a special advisor to lead the strategy and coordinate implementation, with principles including data protection, privacy, cybersecurity, accessibility, and freedom of choice.
Separately, the budget proposes CAD $192.5 million over four years, starting in 2027–2028, and then CAD $42.5 million per year, to modernise and stabilise the technological infrastructure of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The official CBSA Departmental Plan and the IRCC Departmental Results Reports provide the accountability framework for these investments, while the Main Estimates document the biometric collection cost line of CAD $188.1 million referenced in IRCC's 2026–2027 spending overview.
The distinction between the two tracks matters. The eTA biometric requirement is a specific immigration measure tied to the application process, while the Transport Canada traveller biometrics strategy is a broader initiative covering airport infrastructure and border flows. The eTA requirement would be implemented through IRCC regulations; the strategy would be coordinated across transport and border agencies.
What This Means for Visa-Exempt Travellers, Including French Nationals
For French nationals and other visa-exempt travellers who currently apply for an eTA, the proposal would transform a process that is today almost entirely biographical. Under the current rules, the eTA application is completed online, primarily using passport information, at a cost of CAD $7. It is usually issued within minutes, though some applications take longer, and once approved it is electronically linked to the passport and valid for up to five years, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. These rules are set out on the official eTA application page and confirmed in the Canada Gazette regulatory impact analysis, which describes the eTA as valid for five years or until passport expiry and permitting multiple entries for short stays.
The introduction of facial biometric verification would add a new step: the applicant would need to provide a facial image remotely, in addition to biographical and passport data. The regulatory plan acknowledges the possibility of additional costs for applicants, though IRCC has not announced an increase in the eTA fee. The change would also align Canada's eTA process more closely with the pre-travel authorisation systems of the United States (ESTA), the United Kingdom (ETA), Australia, and New Zealand, and with the European Union's forthcoming Entry/Exit System and ETIAS, which the regulatory plan explicitly cites as comparable regimes.
When Would Biometric Verification Become Mandatory?
No effective date has been announced. The proposed funding beginning in 2027–2028 does not mean that facial biometric collection will automatically become mandatory by that date. The regulatory project must still progress through consultations, pre-publication of the proposed amendments in the Canada Gazette, Part I, and a comment period before a final regulation can be made. The IRCC plan states that the public will have the opportunity to comment at the pre-publication stage. Authorities will also need to specify the technical conditions of collection, any associated costs, and the terms of application to different categories of travellers.
Until those steps are completed, the current eTA rules remain unchanged. Visa-exempt travellers, including French nationals, must continue to obtain their electronic authorisation under the existing procedure, without mandatory facial biometric transmission. The official IRCC eTA page remains the authoritative source for current requirements, and the Forward Regulatory Plan entry is the official record of the biometric proposal's progress.
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Key Points at a Glance
Aspect | Detail |
Policy direction | Remote facial image submission for visa-exempt eTA applicants, confirmed in 2026 federal budget and IRCC Forward Regulatory Plan |
Funding | CAD $90 million over four years for IRCC, starting 2027–2028 |
Objective | Strengthen identity verification, reduce document fraud and identity theft |
Technical design | Not yet specified; collection method, comparison procedures, and additional checks to be defined through regulation |
Current eTA rules | Online application, CAD $7 fee, usually issued within minutes, valid up to five years or passport expiry |
Effective date | Not announced; requires Canada Gazette pre-publication and consultation |
Broader biometric strategy | CAD $4.3 million for Transport Canada traveller biometrics strategy; CAD $192.5 million for CBSA technology modernisation |
Official references | IRCC Forward Regulatory Plan; Canada Gazette, Part II, SOR/2026-87; IRCC eTA page |
Conclusion
The 2026 budget confirms that facial biometric verification for eTA applicants is a funded policy direction, not a speculative proposal. The CAD $90 million allocation gives IRCC the resources to expand biometric collection, and the Forward Regulatory Plan provides the legal and policy description that will underpin the amendments. But the measure is not yet in force, and the technical and operational details—including how the facial image is captured and whether applicants will bear additional costs—remain to be settled through the regulatory process. For visa-exempt travellers, the practical message is to continue using the current eTA process while monitoring the Canada Gazette for the pre-publication of the proposed amendments. For employers and the tourism sector, the budget signals that Canada intends to align its pre-travel screening with the biometric norms already established by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the incoming EU systems—a shift that will require clear communication to travellers once the requirement becomes operational.
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