Foreign nationals who apply, or have already applied, for Canadian Permanent Residence, whether in Canada or abroad, are exempt from the biometrics collection requirement if they have previously provided their biometrics within the last 10 years.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) just announced that biometrics will not be required for in-Canada temporary resident applicants. This is to recognize the disruption to such applicants in the country caused by COVID-19 as all Service Canada locations closed in mid-March.