What the specification means in practice
Canada asks for a 50 × 70 mm photo — physically bigger than anything else here — with the face measuring 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown. IRCC also states that as 45% to 50% of the photo’s height, which is a far smaller proportion than the 70–80% used by ICAO-aligned countries. A correctly framed Canadian photo looks noticeably more zoomed out than a European one, and that is intentional.
You cannot take this one yourself
This is the requirement that separates Canada from every other specification here. The photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio. A photo taken at home, however well it matches the measurements, does not satisfy the requirement.
You need two identical photos, taken no more than six months before you submit the application. Identical means from the same sitting, not two similar frames.
Background and clothing work together
The background must be plain white or light-coloured and must show a clear difference between your face and the background. IRCC pairs that with a clothing instruction that is easy to miss and causes real rejections: avoid wearing white. White clothing blends into a white background, the shoulder line disappears, and the photo is refused.
The same logic applies to a wheelchair headrest — a plain white covering over it keeps the edges of the face clear against the background.
Glasses are allowed here
Canada permits glasses in passport photos provided your eyes are clearly visible and there is no glare on the lenses. Sunglasses and tinted lenses are not accepted. This is a meaningful difference from the United States, where glasses are now refused outright, and it catches people who apply for both documents in the same period.
No editing of any kind
IRCC names the specific edits it refuses: cutting and pasting your image against a white background, changing the background, and removing shadows. Any of these turns an otherwise valid photo into a rejected one, and because the photo comes from a studio, it is worth telling the photographer explicitly that the file must not be retouched.
The neutral expression requirement follows the ICAO recommendation and exists so that facial recognition can verify identity. Mouth closed, eyes open, looking directly at the camera. Some latitude is allowed for infants, whose expressions cannot be directed.
Common Canadian rejections
Head size outside the 31–36 mm band is the most frequent, usually because the photographer framed it like a European passport photo and produced too large a face. After that: white clothing against a white background, glare on glasses, retouching applied by the studio as a matter of habit, and photos older than six months by the time the application is actually submitted.