Why is IRCC requesting FPs?

[phoenix111]

Hey guys! I noticed from the spreadsheet that a lot of applicants are getting requests for FPs . Are there criteria on who they select to get FPs or is it random? Also, didn't we already do this for PR? It was never listed as part of the citizenship application :/

 

[andrew-brit]

Fingerprints depend on a lot of factors. I am British and have lived in Canada for 10 years, 5 as a PR. I have never had to get fingerprints.

 

[dpenabill]

Hey guys! I noticed from the spreadsheet that a lot of applicants are getting requests for FPs . Are there criteria on who they select to get FPs or is it random? Also, didn't we already do this for PR? It was never listed as part of the citizenship application :/

As @andrew-brit referenced, there are various reasons why IRCC will request FPs from a grant citizenship applicant. The main two reasons, which overlap some, are (1) to positively verify the applicant's identify, and (2) to verify criminal/security background clearances. We do not know, but as best one can discern, it is likely the first is the most frequent reason for a FP request, and verifying identity is also the main reason underlying the second reason (to verify the applicant is not the same individual for which RCMP or CSIS has a name record hit). And of course some applicants do have contacts with criminal justice, and even if the outcome of such contact does not constitute a prohibition or even result in being charged, that is something which can trigger a RCMP derived FP request (and for this, here too same or similar name hits can be what triggers the FP request).

Beyond that there are, of course, various circumstances or factors which likely fall within the scope of criteria for determining who needs to submit FPs. Thus, while it is likely that same or similar names is the more or less triggering factor in many cases, it is readily apparent there are other triggering factors. Anything which in anyway raises a question, let alone a concern, about the applicant's actual identity, for example, is bound to trigger a FP request.

The decision-making underlying FP requests falls under the ambit of investigatory means and methods, and thus is confidential, meaning secret and not shared with the public. But it is not that difficult to connect some of the dots. Anecdotal reports in this forum, for example, tend to suggest that at least some applicants who are asked to provide FPs can anticipate a repeated request if application processing takes more than another year beyond when the first set was submitted. There appears to be some correlation between FP requests and applicants spending extended periods of time abroad after becoming a PR. And I suspect a similar correlation for applicants perceived to be living abroad. But again, the actual criteria is confidential, so other than the obvious (such as the verification of identity element) all we can do is look for correlations between who reports getting a FP request and common contextual circumstances.

All that said: most applicants are not asked to provide FPs.

Bottom-line: like other non-routine processing, such as RQ-related requests, ANYONE applying for citizenship should recognize that they MIGHT get a FP request . . . even though the majority of applicants (probably the majority by a big margin) do NOT encounter any non-routine processing. That is, there is NO way to GUARANTEE an applicant will not get a FP request or encounter other non-routine processing . . . even though we recognize a range of factors which tend to increase the RISK that this or that applicant will get a FP request (like someone who was once arrested even if the charges got dismissed) or encounter non-routine process like RQ (someone who, for example, fails to get all the travel dates correct in the physical presence calculation).

 

[Scott_Chegg1]

Fingerprints depend on a lot of factors. I am British and have lived in Canada for 10 years, 5 as a PR. I have never had to get fingerprints.

I'm from the UK also and I've lived in Canada for 30 years and never had to get fingerprints... until now. I was selected for fingerprints in March as part of the citizenship process.