28 November 2018

China Requires Fingerprints in 2019

It is now official.

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ottawa yesterday officially announced that as of the new year (2019) all Canadian applicants for Chinese visas will be fingerprinted in-person at one of five Chinese visa offices across Canada.

Here is the official statement from the embassy:

"In accordance with China’s related laws and based on the principle of reciprocity, the Embassy as well as the Consulates- General in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal will entrust the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers to collect the ten fingerprints of all visa applicants including Canadian citizens from January 1st, 2019."

All fingerprinting is done at the time of visa application in person at the Chinese visa application centre in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, or Montreal.

All applicants must appear IN PERSON to apply and be fingerprinted. Applicant's fingerprints will be collected in person at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centres across Canada. All applicants must attend in order to apply and be fingerprinted.

Ensure you speak with the Chinese visa application centre before making your appointment and undertaking travel to the visa office. You should confirm all details and requirements by telephone first, as Chinese rules and procedures are changing rapidly and without warning.

There are a small number of limited exemptions.
1) minors under 14 years of age at the time of application.
2) seniors over 70 years of age at the time of application.
3) diplomatic or service passport holders.
4) persons with missing or mutilated fingers whose prints cannot be collected.
5) "Those who have applied a Chinese visa with the same passport in the past 5 years in the same Chinese Embassy/Consulate General or Chinese Visa Application Service Center, which has collected his or her fingerprints.

The embassy warns that applicants who forge fingerprints or use other people’s fingerprints will be denied entry to China and will bear all the consequences of fraud. Applicants are required to make an appointment and fill in the application forms online at the official website of the Chinese Visa Application Service Centres in advance.   (www.visaforchina.org)

Chinese Visa Fingerprint Collection Locations

As announced by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China yesterday, all Canadians are required to have their fingerprints collected at the time of visa application.

There are five offices across Canada which will collect fingerprints for Chinese visas. These offices are within a 2 hour drive of over 85% of the population of Canada. 


Persons in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Maritimes and up north are out of luck. Those persons will have to fly to the appropriate fingerprint location after making an appointment. Please note that your fingerprint collection office is not necessarily the office closest to you. For example, persons in Nova Scotia are supposed to apply in Ottawa instead of the closer office in Montreal. 


Ensure you speak with the Chinese visa application centre before making your appointment and undertaking travel to the visa office. You should confirm all details and requirements by telephone first, as Chinese rules and procedures are changing rapidly and without warning.

OTTAWA

Ottawa region (613 and 343 area codes), Gatineau Quebec (819 area code region), Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut

TORONTO
Ontario and Manitoba (but not the Ottawa or 613 area code region)

VANCOUVER
British Columbia and Yukon

CALGARY
Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories

MONTREAL
Quebec and New Brunswick (but not Gatineau or 819 area code region)


China Visa Application Centre - Ottawa
http://www.visaforchina.org/YOW_EN/
Suite 1450
220 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON   K1P 5Z9
613-563-8472

China Visa Application Centre - Toronto
http://visaforchina.org/YTO_EN/
Suite 1501
393 University Avenue
Toronto ON  M5G 1E6
416-345-8472

China Visa Application Centre - Vancouver
http://www.visaforchina.org/YVR_EN/
Suite 250
999 West Broadway
Vancouver BC V5Z 1K5
604-336-8866

China Visa Application Centre - Calgary
http://www.visaforchina.org/YYC_EN/
Suite 200
855  8th Avenue SW
Calgary AB  T2P 3P1
403-930-2288

China Visa Application Centre - Montreal
http://www.visaforchina.org/MTL_EN/
Suite 700
2000 Mansfield Street
Montreal Quebec  H3A 2Z6
514-680-8472


Applicants are required to attend IN PERSON and to make an appointment for their fingerprinting in advance. Ensure you speak with the Chinese visa application centre before making your appointment and undertaking travel to the visa office. You should confirm all details and requirements by telephone first, as Chinese rules and procedures are changing rapidly and without warning.

Contact the China Visa Application Centre here for forms and appointments:
http://www.visaforchina.org

22 November 2018

Chine Requiring Fingerprints

BREAKING NEWS

NOT YET CONFIRMED

The Government of China has apparently instructed their embassies, specifically the Chinese Embassy in Canada and all consulates across Canada, to begin collecting fingerprints of visa-seekers.

This will mean all Canadian visa-seekers will be required to travel to a Chinese visa application centre to apply IN-PERSON and be FINGERPRINTED.

This is supposed to become effective as of Wednesday 02 January 2019.

These five Chinese visa centres are currently operational in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Unless more offices are opened this will mean some Canadians will have to drive or fly to their nearest fingerprinting office. This will be especially difficult for people in Manitoba and the maritime provinces, and those up north.

China is already collecting all fingerprints at the point of arrival in China (the airport) prior to going through passport control.

NOT YET CONFIRMED

MORE DETAILS TO COME AS NEWS ARRIVES