The figures
| What is measured | What this rule publishes |
|---|---|
| Print size | 50 x 70 mm at 300 dpi |
| Head, chin to crown | 44.3% to 51.4% (31–36 mm) |
| Eye line, from the bottom | 55.0% to 72.0% (38.5–50.4 mm) (guidance) |
| Background | Plain white |
| Online application photo | at least 715 x 1000 px, JPEG, up to 4.00 MB |
Make this photo Opens the photo tool with this rule already chosen. It runs in your browser: the photograph is never uploaded, and there is no account and no watermark.
What else this rule says
- The photograph may be twelve months old here, where nearly every other rule says six, and the background is white only — the page warns against white clothing, which disappears into it. Online it is one file of 715 x 1000 to 2000 x 2800 pixels and 4 MB at most, and a phone picture of a paper photograph is refused where a proper scan is not. On paper it is two prints, and ones printed at home are not accepted.
- This rule measures the head to the top of the skull, with the hair left out of it. The dots here find the top of the hair, because that is what a photograph has in it, so on a full head of hair the measurement reads high — aim at the lower half of the band.
- No eye line is published, so the band shown is where the eyes fall on a head sitting centred in the frame. It is guidance rather than a requirement, and is never painted red.
Where these figures come from
Transcribed from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — canada.ca, Permanent resident photos. Checked 2026-09-19. Rules change; the figures above are what to check against the form in front of you.
What the tool does with them
- Locks the crop to this document’s shape, and draws the head and eye bands inside it, so you can see the rule on your own photograph instead of reading about it.
- Finds the crown, the chin and both pupils by measuring the picture — no face model is downloaded — and says in millimetres whether the head is too large or too small for this rule.
- Reads the background colour and how evenly it is lit, and says which of the two is the problem when there is one.
- Writes the print at the exact millimetres with the resolution in the file, a sheet of them with cut marks, and the upload file at the pixel and file size this rule states.
Other documents, Canada
- Passport (Passeport) — 50 x 70 mm
- Citizenship (Citoyenneté) — 50 x 70 mm · 420 x 588 px
- Visitor visa (temporary resident visa) (Visa de résident temporaire) — 35 x 45 mm