Canada visa photo requirements
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes the photo specifications for temporary resident (visitor) visa applications. The frame must be at least 35 mm wide and 45 mm high, and the size of the head, from chin to crown, must be between 31 mm and 36 mm. Your face and shoulders must be centred and square to the camera.
The photo must be clear and sharp, in colour or black and white, and taken against a plain white or light-coloured background. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed and your eyes open. Non-tinted prescription glasses are fine if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare; sunglasses are not. Head coverings are allowed for religious or medical reasons if your full face is visible. The photo must have been taken within the last six months.
If the photos do not meet the specifications, IRCC asks for new ones before it processes the application, which delays your visa.
Paper and online applications
A paper application needs two identical photos printed on quality photographic paper. Order the 4 × 6 inch (10 × 15 cm) sheet from this tool at a photo shop as a standard print at 100%, and cut two photos out along the grey lines – they come from the same file, so they are identical.
Online applications are submitted through your IRCC account, where the document checklist shows which documents to upload. If it asks for a photo, upload the digital photo created here. IRCC states that digital photos must not be altered in any way: cropping and scaling to the required size is fine, but filters and retouching are not.
Visas versus passports
This page is only for visa applications. Canadian passport photos follow different rules: they must be taken by a commercial photographer, with the photographer’s details on the back, so they cannot be made at home with any tool.