Canada Biometrics and Medical Exam in Nepal (2026 Guide)

Canada biometrics and medical exam in Nepal are two separate steps. You give biometrics at the Canada Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Thapathali, Kathmandu, after IRCC sends you a biometric instruction letter. The biometrics fee is CAD 85 (about Rs 9,142), paid with your application, and your biometrics stay valid for 10 years. Most students from Nepal staying more than 6 months also need an immigration medical exam, which only an IRCC-approved panel physician can do.

Last checked: 17 October 2026. Rupee amounts use the NRB selling rate, 17 Oct 2026 (CAD 1 = Rs 107.55).

Canada biometrics and medical exam in Nepal: key facts

Biometrics: what they are and when you give them

Biometrics means your fingerprints and a digital photo. Canada uses them to confirm your identity. Most study permit applicants aged 14 to 79 must give them.

The order matters. According to IRCC’s how to give biometrics page, you pay the biometrics fee when you submit your application. IRCC then sends a biometric instruction letter (BIL) to your account. Only after you have that letter do you book the VAC appointment. IRCC’s application pages say you have 30 days from the date on the letter to give biometrics, and IRCC starts processing your study permit once it receives them.

Bring your BIL and your valid passport to the appointment. Use the BIL from your current application. IRCC warns that using a letter from an old application may cause delays or a refusal.

The Canada VAC in Kathmandu

IRCC’s find a visa application centre page lists one VAC in Nepal, in Kathmandu, run by VFS Global. The VFS Global Nepal (Canada) site gives the address as Ground Floor, LS Complex, Thapathali-11, Kathmandu, open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00.

Some points worth knowing:

• VACs do not decide anything. IRCC says VACs are private companies with contracts with the Government of Canada. They collect biometrics and documents. Canadian officers make all decisions, and VAC staff cannot give visa advice.
• Booking is free. Both IRCC and VFS say biometrics appointments cost nothing to book. If someone charges you to “get a slot”, that is not an official fee.
• Optional services cost extra. VFS lists paid extras in rupees, such as photocopying, SMS updates, photos and a Premium Lounge (Rs 8,979). None of these is required.
• Passport submission. If your study permit is approved, IRCC sends a passport request so your visa can be placed in it. VFS says you can submit your passport through the VAC.

Biometrics fee and 10-year validity

IRCC’s fee list sets the biometrics fee at CAD 85 per person, with a family maximum of CAD 170 for two or more people applying at the same time. This is on top of the CAD 150 study permit processing fee, so a single student pays CAD 235 in total to IRCC (about Rs 25,274).

IRCC’s Help Centre says biometrics given for a visitor visa, study permit or work permit application are valid for 10 years, even if that application was refused. So if you gave biometrics for an earlier Canada application and they are still valid, you usually do not have to give them again. You can check whether yours are still valid and when they expire through IRCC’s online status tool.

When students from Nepal need a medical exam

IRCC’s medical exams for visitors, students and workers page says you need an exam if you will stay in Canada for more than 6 months and at least one of these applies:

• you lived in or travelled to a designated country or territory for 6 months or more in a row in the year before coming to Canada;
• you will work in a job where public health must be protected, such as health care, primary or secondary schools, or child care. IRCC’s Help Centre adds medical students to this group.

IRCC’s country list marks Nepal “yes” for a medical exam. In practice, a student who has been living in Nepal and is going to Canada for a diploma or degree longer than 6 months will need one. Students on courses of 6 months or less usually do not, unless their work or studies involve health care or children.

Panel physicians in Nepal

Only doctors on IRCC’s approved list can do the immigration medical exam. Your family doctor cannot, unless they are on the list. Find a clinic using IRCC’s official Find a Panel Physician tool: choose your country, then your area. IRCC also says you can use a panel physician in any country.

We have not listed clinic names here because the list can change. Use the official tool on the day you book, and do not rely on a clinic name passed on by an agent or a social media post.

You pay the clinic directly, and IRCC says fees vary by doctor. Ask the clinic what to bring when you book. The medical result is valid for 12 months, and IRCC’s arrival page says it must still be valid when you enter Canada. If you do not travel in time, you may need a new exam.

Upfront medical or wait for instructions?

You have two options:

• Upfront medical. You contact a panel physician and do the exam before you apply, then include the proof with your application. This can avoid a later request.
• Wait. If you do not do it upfront, the visa office will send you instructions, including a medical report form (IMM 1017E), after you apply.

An upfront medical makes sense if you are close to your intake date. The trade-off is the 12-month validity: if your plans slip by a year, you may pay for a second exam.

Biometrics and medical exam: step by step

1. Decide whether you need a medical exam (stay over 6 months, living in Nepal: almost certainly yes).
2. If you want an upfront medical, book a clinic through IRCC’s panel physician tool.
3. Submit your study permit application online and pay CAD 150 plus CAD 85 for biometrics.
4. Watch your IRCC account for the biometric instruction letter.
5. Book a free appointment at the Kathmandu VAC and attend within 30 days of the letter’s date, with your BIL and passport.
6. If you did not do an upfront medical, follow the medical instructions IRCC sends.
7. If approved, send your passport through the VAC when IRCC asks.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Going to the VAC before you have a biometric instruction letter.
• Missing the 30-day window and delaying your file.
• Paying a middleman for a “free” appointment.
• Doing your medical at a regular hospital that is not on IRCC’s panel list. It will not count.
• Doing an upfront medical too early, so it expires before you fly.
• Giving biometrics again when your old ones are still valid, and paying for nothing.

What to do next

Map your timeline backwards from your intake date. Check our Canada study permit cap 2026 explainer, plan your health cover with our health insurance guide for international students, and build a dated checklist with the free study abroad plan tool. If someone is handling your file, check that the consultancy is registered.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Canada VFS office in Kathmandu?
The Canada Visa Application Centre is on the Ground Floor, LS Complex, Thapathali-11, Kathmandu, open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, according to VFS Global’s Nepal (Canada) site.

How much is the Canada biometrics fee in Nepal?
CAD 85 per person, or CAD 170 for a family applying together. That is about Rs 9,142 per person at the NRB selling rate on 17 Oct 2026. You pay it to IRCC with your application, not at the VAC.

Do I need to give biometrics again after a Canada visa refusal?
Usually not. IRCC says biometrics given for a visitor, study or work application are valid for 10 years, even if the application was refused.

Is a medical exam required for a Canada student visa from Nepal?
Yes for most students. Nepal is on IRCC’s designated list, so if you have lived in Nepal for 6 months in a row in the past year and will stay in Canada more than 6 months, you need an exam by a panel physician.

How long is the Canada immigration medical valid?
12 months. It must still be valid on the day you enter Canada.

Related guides

• Canada Study Permit Application from Nepal: 2026 Steps
• Canada GIC for Study Permit from Nepal: 2026 Guide
• GCMS Notes After Canada Study Permit Refusal (Nepal)
• WES Evaluation for Nepali Transcripts: ECA Cost, Documents, Time

Sources

• Biometrics: how to give your fingerprints and photo – IRCC
• Do I need to give biometrics again after a refusal? – IRCC Help Centre
• Citizenship and immigration application fees – IRCC
• Find a visa application centre – IRCC
• Canada Visa Application Centre, Nepal – VFS Global
• Medical exams for visitors, students and workers – IRCC
• Find out if you need a medical exam (country list) – IRCC
• Find a Panel Physician – IRCC
• Study permit: prepare for arrival – IRCC

Last checked: 17 October 2026. This is general information, not immigration or medical advice. Check IRCC before you book or pay.