Immigration Testing

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) accepts DNA test results for immigration and citizenship applications as evidence of a genetic link between a parent and a child or between brothers and sisters.  The BCIT Forensic DNA Laboratory is one of a select few in Canada recognized by IRCC to conduct DNA identification tests for immigration purposes.  Our laboratory is accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 and SCC Requirements and Guidance for the Accreditation for Forensic Testing Laboratories accreditation standards and tests offer an accuracy of over 99.8% as required by IRCC.

  • Paternal/maternal relationships
  • Sibling relationships
  • Avuncular and extended familial relationships

To order an identification test for immigration purposes:

  1. You must provide us with a letter from IRCC stating which relationship(s) must be established.  The letter can be sent to us by email at ForensicDNALab@bcit.ca 
  2. We will refer you to the nearest collection centre(s) where you will be asked to present two pieces of valid identification, one of which must be a government-issued photo ID, and provide us with two (2) recent photographs, passport-size and quality, for each member to be tested.
  3. If family members are located abroad, we will contact the Embassy for the other participant(s) of the test. We will provide the Embassy with all of the necessary material for the DNA sample collection along with instructions and consent forms.
  4. All required individuals will have their DNA collected.  If the collection occurs abroad, the samples will be couriered to the BCIT Forensic DNA Laboratory following a strict chain of custody for analysis at our Burnaby location.
  5. Once all of the DNA samples have been received by the laboratory the samples will be analyzed within 7 business days.
  6. A report of the results will be issued to both the IRCC and yourself.  Results are completely confidential, and your private genetic information is never shared with or sold to outside parties.  For more detail, see our confidentiality clause in our Terms of Services.

The collection consists of a cheek swab, a foam swab rubbed on the inside of the cheek to collect DNA from the inside of the mouth.  It is a fast and painless 30 second procedure designed to be as reliable as blood sampling while minimizing distress of young children and infants.

All participants must complete and sign a release and consent waiver. In the case of a minor, the guardian must complete and sign the child’s consent waiver. We do not perform any tests without acquiring the knowledge and consent of the parties concerned.

The cost of providing an Immigration Test is case specific and covers the DNA collection kits, courier to and from collection sites as needed, laboratory analysis, and reporting.  We accept only Canadian Issued Credit Cards and Bank Transfers.  Canadian Embassies or foreign collection sites may charge a fee for conducting a sample collection.  Please contact us to obtain a quote for your case.

If you have any questions or would like to apply you can contact us directly or by telephone: (604) 451-7027 or  email.

Please note we do not accept drop-ins at this time. All in-person appointments need to be scheduled prior to arrival.