Canada Visa Application Centre Vietnam: Biometrics and What to Expect

After you submit your electronic permanent residence application to IRCC, one of the first requests you will receive is a biometric instruction letter — a notice to provide fingerprints and a digital photograph at a designated collection point. In Vietnam, that means VFS Global, which operates Canada's Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The process is simpler than it sounds, but the timing inside your post-ITA window matters.

Where Canada VACs Are Located in Vietnam

VFS Global manages Canada's immigration services in Vietnam through two centres:

Hanoi VAC VFS Global - Canada 63A Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi Operating hours vary by appointment type; check the VFS Global Vietnam portal for current hours

Ho Chi Minh City VAC VFS Global - Canada 235 Dong Khoi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Similarly appointment-based; current hours on the VFS portal

Both centres handle biometric collection for all Canadian immigration streams — Express Entry, spousal sponsorship, temporary residence, and visitor visas. You do not need a specific "Express Entry" appointment; you book for biometric collection (fingerprints and photo) and present your biometric instruction letter.

There is no third option if you are based in Da Nang or another city. You need to travel to either Hanoi or HCMC. Factor travel time and accommodation into your planning if you are not already based in one of these cities.

When You Need to Give Biometrics (And How It Fits the Timeline)

After you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), you have 60 days to submit a complete electronic application for permanent residence (eAPR). Once IRCC receives and confirms your application is complete — typically within one to two weeks — they will send a biometric instruction letter if you have not previously given biometrics for Canada within the last 10 years.

IRCC gives you 30 days from the date of the biometric instruction letter to appear at a VAC. This 30-day window is distinct from the 60-day eAPR window — they run in sequence, not in parallel. In practice, the typical flow for Vietnamese applicants looks like this:

• Day 0: ITA received
• Day 45-55: eAPR submitted (most applicants do not use all 60 days, but do not leave it to day 59)
• Day 50-65: IRCC confirms application complete, sends biometric instruction letter
• Day 50-95: Biometric appointment at VFS Global Hanoi or HCMC (within 30 days of instruction letter)

Important exception: If you have already given biometrics to Canada within the last 10 years — for example, from a previous temporary residence application, a visitor visa, or an earlier permanent residence attempt — you may not need to give them again. Check your instruction letter carefully before booking a VFS appointment.

How to Book a VFS Global Appointment in Vietnam

Appointments are booked online through the VFS Global Vietnam portal (visa.vfsglobal.com/vnm/en/can). The process:

1. Create a VFS Global account if you do not have one
2. Select "Canada" as the destination country
3. Select the appropriate service — for Express Entry biometrics, this is "Biometric Collection"
4. Choose your preferred VAC (Hanoi or HCMC)
5. Select an available time slot and confirm
6. Pay the VFS service fee (currently charged separately from the IRCC biometric fee of $85 CAD, which you pay to IRCC online when submitting your application)

Appointment availability in Ho Chi Minh City tends to be tighter than in Hanoi, particularly for morning slots. If your 30-day window is running short, check both cities. The difference in travel between Hanoi and HCMC is significant, but a flight is faster than missing your deadline.

What to Bring to Your VFS Appointment

On the day of your appointment, bring:

• Your original passport (the one currently valid — not just a copy)
• Your biometric instruction letter from IRCC (print this out; do not rely on a phone screen)
• A printed copy of your appointment confirmation from VFS Global
• If you have dependents included on your application, their passports and their own instruction letters (biometrics are collected individually for each person age 14 and over)

The collection itself takes about 15 minutes: fingerprints from all 10 fingers are captured digitally, followed by a facial photograph. No ink, no forms to complete on the spot.

Children under 14 are exempt from biometrics. Children between 14 and 17 must give biometrics but do not need to appear alone — a parent or guardian must accompany them.

What Happens After Biometrics

After VFS transmits your biometric data to IRCC (typically within a few business days of collection), your application enters the substantive review phase. This is where IRCC's background check, medical assessment, and criminality screening occur.

For Vietnamese applicants, this phase is often longer than the global average. IRCC's 2024 year-end report acknowledges that document authenticity verification for Vietnamese applications takes additional time due to historical concerns about fraudulent employment documentation from Southeast Asian markets. The standard service target is six months from eAPR to final decision, but Vietnamese applicants should plan for eight to twelve months as a realistic range.

Common reasons for Additional Document Requests (ADRs) during this phase from Vietnamese applicants include:

• Employment history documentation that does not include BHXH records
• Settlement funds from large, unexplained recent deposits
• Discrepancies between the NOC code claimed and the duties described in reference letters
• TB furtherance from medical examinations (Vietnam has moderate TB prevalence; any X-ray abnormality triggers additional sputum testing, adding six to twelve weeks)

If you receive an ADR, respond within the timeframe given and include a concise Letter of Explanation that addresses the specific issue raised. Do not add unrequested documentation — respond precisely to what was asked.

Planning Your Timeline Backwards

The most useful thing to understand about the Canada VAC biometrics step is that it is not the constraint in your timeline. The constraint is the 60-day eAPR submission window and, before that, the months of document preparation before your ITA arrives.

Applicants who are caught scrambling with biometrics are usually scrambling because they submitted their eAPR on day 55 and then had an incomplete document that delayed their IRCC confirmation. The biometric appointment itself, once your instruction letter arrives, is straightforward to book and complete within 30 days in Vietnam's two major cities.

Prepare your documents — police certificates, employment reference letters with BHXH backing, bank confirmation letters, WES evaluation — well before your ITA. The biometrics will take care of themselves.

For the complete document preparation guide covering every stage of the Vietnam to Canada Express Entry process, see the Vietnam to Canada Express Entry Guide.

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