Biometrics Field Trial Evaluation Report

Section 7. Impact on Clients and Public Acceptance

This section describes how clients were affected by the enrolment process and their impression of biometrics, employees’ impressions on the impact of the field trial on clients, and public reception to biometrics.

7.1 Client demographics

When analysing the impact of the field trial on clients, it is helpful to understand client demographics.

Figure 7-A: Applications by gender

Figure 7-A shows that the majority of clients (56%) participating in the field trial were female.

Figure 7-B: Applications by age

The largest age groups participating in the field trial were 21 to 30 years, followed by 31 to 40 years.

7.2 Client survey

Clients in visa offices were surveyed in order to assess the impact of the field trial on them. A questionnaire was developed at CIC NHQ and administered by visa office employees in Hong Kong and Seattle to every visa applicant during the last month of the field trial. After submitting their application, clients completed a hard-copy questionnaire while waiting for their receipt.

A total of 1,203 respondents participated in the survey (margin of error: 2.9%, 19 times out of 20) which was made up of two sub-samples:

• 594 respondents in the Hong Kong office (margin of error: 4.1%, 19 times out of 20)
• 609 respondents from the Seattle office (margin of error: 4.1%, 19 times out of 20).

7.2.1 Summary of results

• Most respondents (56%) became aware of the field trial when they arrived at the visa office. Less than one in three (28%) found out about the field trial from the CIC website; and 10% found out from family and friends.
• More than three-quarters of respondents (78%) reported that their photos were accepted the first time they were submitted. Respondents from Europe (92%), the Philippines (87%), Africa and the Middle East (84%) and Taiwan (81%) were most likely to report that their photos were accepted the first time.
• Almost nine out of ten respondents (87%) were able to give their fingerprints on the first try.
• Almost all respondents (97%) said that the fingerprinting machine was at just the right height.
• A majority of respondents (52%) indicated that the fingerprinting process was quicker than they expected.
• Generally, respondents felt that it would be useful to have a screen on which to see their fingerprints as they enrolled them (47% very useful, 27% fairly useful).
• Two-thirds (65%) of respondents—85% of respondents from Seattle and 45% from Hong Kong— replied that they had been required to provide fingerprints previously.

7.3 Employee feedback on experiences with clients

CIC and CBSA employees were interviewed during the field trial to get feedback on their experiences and their observations on the impact of the field trial on clients.

There were no client complaints from clients at any of the field trial sites regarding the process for collecting biometric information. However, the strict enforcement of the CIC Visa Photo standards in the Seattle and Hong Kong visa offices did cause client service challenges in the early phase of the field trial. Although the photo standards were published on the CIC website and distributed to local photographers, many clients were initially unaware of this. At the beginning of the field trial, clients were applying for visas with photos that did not comply with the photo standards. When clients’ photos were rejected and they were asked to bring in new photos, they became distressed. However, as client awareness grew, photo compliance also increased. In the last month of the field trial, more than three-quarters of the field trial clients (78%) reported that their photos were accepted the first time they were submitted.

For fingerprint enrolment, employees in Seattle believed that the process would be faster and the level of client frustration would be significantly reduced if there were specific visual aids to facilitate the enrolment process. Conversely, employees in Hong Kong believed that such visual aids would only serve to confuse the clients. This could mean longer processing times because the next steps would need to be explained. It was, however, noted that language plays a significant role in the ease and efficiency of the enrolment process and that further communications material for the public (see section 10 for suggested material) may alleviate client uncertainty about the information collection process for enrolment and/or verification purposes.

In conclusion, clients had no complaints about the biometric enrolment as they seemed to accept it as a new requirement for obtaining a Canadian visa. However, CIC can take steps to improve the biometric enrolment experience for clients by taking their suggestions under consideration.

7.4 Media and public inquiries

CIC received very few inquiries from the public and no complaints related to the field trial during the trial period. The CIC National Call Centre received two requests for information on the biometrics field trial, while the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration received one request for information.

CIC has monitored public opinion on biometrics since 2003. Polls conducted in March 2007—while the field trial was in operation—showed that 90% of Canadians support the use of biometrics by the federal government to conduct background checks on non-Canadians wanting to enter Canada. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Canadians support the use of biometrics to verify the identity of non-Canadians applying for an immigration visa.

Some concerns over privacy and transparency were raised in the media prior to the launch of the field trial.

Several articles were written about the biometrics field trial. Some articles mentioned commitments made to the US and Canada’s efforts to enhance security and identity measures, while others referred to public concerns about access to personal information and lack of trust in the technology. However, one mentioned the benefit of being able to identify suspects or criminals by using biometrics.

Here are some of the media articles written about the field trial:

• “Immigration to test biometrics,” Ottawa Sun, October 2, 2005
• “Facial scans, digital fingerprints to be compiled for border security project,” Canadian Press Newswire, October 16, 2005
• “Biometric screening program planned,” Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2006
• “Canada considers fingerprinting visa applicants,” The Toronto Star, May 10, 2006
• “Canada test biometrics in immigration field trial,” www.securitydocumentworld.com, June 6, 2006
• “From the editor – Border and Biometrics,” The Public Safety & National Security Magazine, November 2006

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