I have a question about Police clearance:
I lived and worked in the US (2011 to 2015) and became PR in 2014 but didn't move to Canada until end of 2018. I did my soft landing in 2014 and went back to the US. Then I moved to India in 2015 and stayed there till 2018 (I made a permanent move to Canada). India is my country of origin from last 4 years.
Could any one guide me if I will need a police clearance for citizenship application?
Thanks,
According to the instruction guide:
You need to provide a police certificate from each country, other than Canada, if you were there
- in the past 4 years
- for 183 days or more in a row
- since the age of 18
According to the info you've provided:
You became PR in 2014.
2014---------> 2015 You were in US
2015----------> 2018 You were in India
2018 ----------> Today ( May 12, 2021), You have been in Canada
Let's assume you want to submit your application today. Your 4-year period starts from
2017-05-12 to
2021-05-12. I don't know the exact dates, but according to the info you've provided, you've been in India in 2017 and most of 2018. If you stayed in India for the whole time, or if even one of your trips to India or any other country other than Canada from 2017 to 2021 was 183 days or more in a row, then you need a police certificate. In your case, it seems you need to provide a police certificate from India. Make sure you check for other countries to which you had trip too.
The fact that you did not move to Canada till 2018 does not mean you don't need to provide a police certificate as you were already a permanent resident of Canada in 2017 and 2018. If you refer to the instruction guide, it says
You don’t need to provide a police certificate if
- you were in your country of origin immediately prior to becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada, and
- this time falls within the past 4 years
So, you need to provide a police certificate from India.
The link for the instruction guide:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-0002-application-canadian-citizenship-under-subsection-5-1-adults-18-years-older.html