+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

Ahmisht

Star Member
Aug 14, 2021
142
26
Hi all,

Can anyone please comment.
  • I've been in Canada since 2016.
  • Before coming to Canada as a student, I had submitted a police clearance certificate to IRCC.
  • During my entire stay in Canada, I visited my home country just once and stayed for less than 6 months (= 5 months 20 days); this was in 2021.
  • I have not visited any other country.

Can I use the same police certificate that I obtained in 2016 for Express Entry? Note that I have a new passport now (same nationality) and so the passport number is different than what's on the police certificate from 2016. My new passport does show the old passport number.

Do I need a new police clearance certificate?


IRCC website says the following:


For any other country [i.e., country other than where you currently live], the police certificate must be issued after the last time you stayed there for 6 months or more in a row.

Some countries put expiry dates on their police certificates. If you have a police certificate that expired, include it. We’ll accept it if:
  • it was issued after the last time you stayed there for 6 months or more in a row
  • it is not for the country where you currently live
An officer may ask for a new one later on.

Source: Police certificates for Express Entry applications - Canada.ca