When are police certificates required for immigration to Canada?

You and family members are over 18 years old.

In Express Entry, the system usually requests a police certificate:

• from the main applicant
• family members who are 18 years of age or older
• for each country where the person concerned has been in the last 10 years 6 consecutive months or longer

In this case, as a standard, you do not need to submit the following certificate:

• for a period up to 18 years
• for the time spent in Canada

After filing, the officer can still request additional certification for another period of life after age 18.

This is a separate Express Entry restriction.

In Express Entry, the system takes into account countries where you have been for 6 consecutive months or longer within the last 10 years.

For example, if a person is 45 years old and lived for 7 months in another country at the age of 25, the Express Entry system will usually not ask for this certificate initially because the period was more than 10 years ago.

But after filing, the officer can request a certificate for any period after 18 years.

Therefore, old history cannot be considered completely unimportant just because of the ten-year rule.

The rule here is 6 months before the filing date.

For the country of your current residence, the certificate must be issued:

no more than 6 months before the date of application.

The certificate must not be expired as of the date of submission.

IRCC may ask for an updated certificate later during the review process.

Important:

current country of residence is not necessarily the country of citizenship.

If you currently live in another country, the current country rule applies specifically to your place of actual residence.

The date after the last long stay is important here.

For another country, the certificate must be issued:

after the last period you were there for 6 consecutive months or longer.

This is different from the current country.

For example:

• you lived in the country for 2 years
• left
• after departure we received a certificate

Such a document may continue to be eligible even later if it complies with the IRCC rule.

In Express Entry, the date on the certificate may be more important than its local date.

Some countries print their own expiration date.

IRCC states that a certificate from a country where you no longer live may be accepted even after the deadline stated on it if:

• it was issued after the last stay there for 6 consecutive months or longer
• this is not your current country of residence

IRCC may still request an updated document during the review process.

Therefore, one rule cannot be applied:

“The certificate says expired, which means it is definitely unsuitable.”

For standard Express Entry filing, a Canadian certificate is not required in advance.

IRCC's current Express Entry guidelines specifically state that proof of time spent in Canada does not need to be submitted with the initial application package.

But the officer may request additional verification later.

Do not automatically request a Canadian police certificate simply because you have lived in Canada.

First follow your document checklist and IRCC requests.

Some countries take a long time to issue them.

IRCC advises Express Entry candidates to think about certifications after the profile is in the pool.

Once an Invitation to Apply (ITA) is received, you have 60 days to submit your Express Entry application.

If a country takes a long time to issue a certificate, waiting until the last few days can create a problem.

Therefore, it is useful to determine in advance:

• from which countries certificates will potentially be needed?
• how long does the procedure take
• Is personal presence required?
• are fingerprints needed?
• is a formal request letter required from IRCC?

Use the IRCC country guide.

IRCC has a separate guide to countries and territories.

The following may differ for each country:

• authority that issues the certificate
• document title
• order of submission
• fingerprints
• photos
• address history
• cost
• need for a formal letter of request
• method of receiving from abroad

This country-specific IRCC page should be your primary source.

Do not use instructions for one country as a guide for another.

Even if fingerprints are taken in both cases.

Some countries require fingerprints to issue a certificate.

The Canadian immigration system may also require biometrics - fingerprints and a photograph.

These are different procedures.

The fingerprints you submitted to receive your certificate do not automatically mean that biometrics for IRCC has already been completed.

Biometrics submitted to IRCC also do not replace the fingerprints required by the certificate issuing authority.

IRCC requires a color scan of the original certificate.

For Express Entry, IRCC specifies:

• a color scan of the original certificate is uploaded
• a certified copy does not replace the original certificate for this requirement
• an unauthorized copy is also not accepted

Therefore, before downloading, check:

• the document is completely visible
• color saved
• seals, signatures and numbers are not cut off
• all pages included

Do not improve or edit the content of the document.

Translation needed.

According to IRCC general instructions, if the certificate is not in English or French, you must provide:

• original certificate
• translation into English or French from a certified translator

For a specific immigration program, also check its document translation rules.

Don't just upload a translation without the original reference.

Express Entry may provide an explanation for the delay, but does not guarantee acceptance.

If the ITA certificate is not ready by the 60-day filing deadline, current Express Entry instructions allow you to attach:

• explanatory letter
• evidence that you made real attempts to obtain a certificate in a timely manner

For example:

• confirmation of request
• payment receipt
• delivery notification
• tracking number
• explanation from the authority that issues the certificate

The letter and evidence are loaded into the country-specific reference field.

The officer decides if your attempts are enough.

If not, the application may be rejected as incomplete.

IRCC does not provide a universal formula.

You can't say:

“one receipt is always enough.”

The situation looks stronger where you can see:

• when did it become possible to order a certificate?
• when did you actually order it?
• that the request has been sent to the correct authority
• that the delay is not up to you
• that you were tracking the process

The situation looks weaker:

• the candidate knew about the certificate
• haven't done anything for a long time
• submitted the request just before the deadline
• did not attach confirmation

But the final assessment is still made by the officer.

Certification requested from current national authorities.

IRCC specifically states that if you lived in a country that later changed name or status, the certificate must come from the current national authorities of that country.

If the country is not in the IRCC directory, you can contact:

• to the national police
• to the embassy
• to the consulate of that country in Canada

The information in the certificate must be consistent with the rest of the application.

Before submitting, compare the list of countries with:

• address history
• travel history
• general occupational history
• passports
• information from previous immigration applications

For example, a person lived in the country for 8 months, but in the application this is only visible as several inconsistent entries.

Or vice versa: the package includes a certificate from a country where the person, judging by the questionnaire, has never been.

It is better to collect a separate table of countries and periods in advance.

One work list helps you not to miss a country.

For each person 18+, write down:

This is a working tool and not an official list of IRCC documents.

The officer may request additional information at a later date.

The certificate is not a legal opinion on admission.

Depending on the country, the certificate may contain:

• criminal record
• information about the charge
• other criminal history information

The very fact of recording does not allow an automatic conclusion to be drawn from one page.

Canada's criminal inadmissibility rules depend on the specific offense, its Canadian equivalent, penalty, timing, and other circumstances.

If the certificate contains a record, it is better to examine the situation separately before filing.

Do not hide the document or try to edit its content.

Five steps.

1. For each applicant 18+, write down the country of residence for the last 10 years
2. Mark periods of 6 consecutive months or longer
3. Separate your current country of residence from previous ones
4. Open the IRCC instructions for each specific country
5. Check the deadlines for receipt and start with those countries where the document takes a long time to prepare