Certified true copy by a lawyer?

[nanji]

Hi,

I am applying from Malaysia under FSW 1. My question is as follows:

As per the CIC instructions, following people can certify true copies:

- a judge,
- a magistrate,
- a notary public,
- an officer of a court of justice OR
- a commissioner authorized to administer oaths in the country in which the person is living

I asked a lawyer if he comes under any of the above categories and he says that he may fall under the category of "officer of court" but he also said that that depends on interpretation. I need to confirm it from Canadian immigration authorities if it would be acceptable to them. Kindly can anyone comment if a lawyer can be considered under the category of "officer of court". e.g. My lawyer said "We are empoyes or staff of a Court - eg the Registrars, Assistant registrars etc" so technically they can be considered "officer of court".

The other options of certified true copies are too costly for me in Malaysia. I wanted to get my documents certified from my lawyer. Will the CIC accept it if all the other CIC guidelines are followed?

I would be grateful for a response on the above?

Thanks
Nanji

 

[john5655]

a lawyer does not automatically qualify for this role

you need a Justice of the Peace or a Public Notary or a commissioner of oaths

if you are in Malaysia have you checked out your local district administrator?

 

[helpmeimmigrate]

a lawyer does not automatically qualify for this role

you need a Justice of the Peace or a Public Notary or a commissioner of oaths

if you are in Malaysia have you checked out your local district administrator?

It is best to get the documents certified by the notary public, whose job is to do so.

 

[nanji]

I did some Googling and found the following (just FYI):

"An attorney is also regarded as being an officer of the court and must therefore comply with court rules....." - http://www.answers.com/topic/officer-of-the-court

More Links on this:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Officer_of_the_court
http://www.jstor.org/pss/1064517

The above appears true as per US law only and I suppose that it could be true in Canadian interpretation also. Anyhow, I am not a legal expert or anyway trying to suggest that one can get the documents certified from an attorney. Please do verify from your local visa office if they accept it.

I am trying verify it from the Canadian visa office here in Kuala Lumpur (from where I am applying). I simply cannot afford the notary public attestation for 60+ documents it will cost me a fortune. I will update you guys if I get a response from the Visa Office here.

P.S: Although, we do know few people on this forum (e.g. Rupeshhari) who have gotten his documents certified from Bank Managers and that worked also, so I am not sure.

Thanks
Nanji