Canada’s 2026 federal budget includes several proposals to widen the use of biometrics in travel and immigration, according to Biometric Update, which reported on the plans on 9 November. The measures are budget proposals and have not yet been enacted.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada would receive C$90 million over four years to expand screening using fingerprints and facial images, including remote facial-image submission for visa-exempt travellers applying for an electronic travel authorisation. A further C$4.3 million would fund a Traveller Biometrics Strategy covering airports and border services, with Transport Canada appointing a Special Advisor on Traveller Biometrics to coordinate it. The strategy is said to refer to possible use of digital credentials. Separately, the Canada Border Services Agency would get C$192.5 million over four years from 2027–28 to modernise ageing border technology.
The budget says the strategy would address privacy, accessibility, cybersecurity and individual choice, and proposes alternative enrolment arrangements for refugees and displaced people. The Canadian Airports Council welcomed the investment, though it raised concerns about airport fees.
Reporting note: This account relies on a single trade outlet’s reading of the budget. The report does not explain how remote facial verification would work or what safeguards would apply, and the proposals still need to be carried out.
Photo: Daniel Case / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
