IRCC’s Rigid Instructions on Photos Hurt the Very Rural/Remote Community Applicants It Wants to Attract
IRCC requires that applicants provide upfront a photo taken by a commercial photographer. Even though applications have moved online, and there have been a whole slew of incidents where commercial photography studios have refused to do digital photos and/or have had those photos rejected, it is still a requirement.
There are a whole slew of reputable online photo apps. During the last year, we’ve had to even recommend that they use them and take a selfie because IRCC was rejecting commercially done/scanned photos.
We currently have a client who is an Indigenous community pending sponsorship from his spouse, an Indigenous sponsor. The Applicant is worried that if he does not obtain a commercial photograph that his application may be bounced from the system. Problem is there are no commercial photographs in the small community and the closest one of way would require a least a multiple day trip at the costs of thousands of dollars.
Given IRCC has made a huge commitment in their Annual Report to Parliament to support immigration to rural communities, and given the front end photo (even, in the temporary resident space) has historically been even more lax – I don’t see why the Government could not list a few reputable providers to ensure this photo process is done with the right balance of security and privacy in mind.
I am calling on IRCC to remove the requirement for a commercial photo and/or invest in partnerships (either in-house or with a trusted partner) to ensure Applicants can take suitable photos from the comfort of their own homes (with sufficient lighting, of course).
