The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria
says Nigerians applying for visa to the North American country will
henceforth be required to provide their fingerprints.
It said the new requirement which took
effect from October 23, was introduced to check fraud, facilitate
legitimate travel by making entry into the country easier.
According to the High Commission,
applicants will need to go in....
person to a visa application centre to
submit their application and give their fingerprints as well as have
their photograph taken.
This was contained in a statement by the high commission’s Public Affairs Officer, Ezinne Uluocha.
The new requirement, Uluocha said, would
put Canada in line with other countries already collecting this
information from visitors. These countries include the United States,
the United Kingdom, Australia, countries in the European Union Schengen
Zone, and Japan.
But, the High Commission noted that the
new application process will exempt applicants under the age of 14 or
over the age of 79 as well as diplomats and government officials
travelling on official business.
Uluocha said, “Effective from October
23, visitors to Canada from several countries, including Nigeria, will
be required to provide fingerprints and a digital photograph when they
apply for a visitor visa, study or work permit.
“This new requirement will not only
help protect the safety and security of Canadians while helping
facilitate legitimate travel, it will also protect prospective visitors
by making it more difficult for others to forge, steal or use an
applicant’s identity to gain access to Canada.”
However, the High Commission added that
applicants would have to part with a fee ranging from $85 to $170 before
their fingerprints and photograph before their date will be captured at
any of its visa application centre.
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