Police certificate - can someone clarify what "3 months" means?

[Kayaker]

Hello!

It just occurred to me - I know that CIC will only accept police certificates that have been issued within 3 months. Does that mean 3 months from the date our application is delivered to them or the date they actually open the package and send us AOR?

One of my certificates is dated Dec 2, 2013. The tracking number of our application package says it was delivered on Feb 5. Today is March 4 and so far no AOR. Does that mean my police certificate is okay because it was delivered within the 3 months validity period, or it's now invalid because CIC did not open the package until the 3 months had passed?

I really hope it's the former... because it took me 10 weeks to get that police certificate from the Russian consulate, after several visits, and multiple phone calls almost every day after for weeks... (not to mention, they first refused to do it)

Fingers crossed.

 

[zardoz]

It means that when the PCC is actually received by CIC, it must have been issued by the issuing authority less than three months before that date. In other words, the date on the certificate to the date of receipt by CIC. Internally, CIC will treat the certificate as valid for one year from the date of issue. Therefor, when they actually open the package, it will be valid even if they open it months after you submitted it.

 

[Kayaker]

Thank you! That's a relief to hear!

That brings to mind another question - has anyone ever been asked to redo their police certificates because their application took longer than a year to process? I'm going through the Manila office, and the processing time currently stands at 14 months. I'm wondering what are my chances of being asked to redo all the police certificates...

 

[zardoz]

Yes, it does happen.

 

[QuebecOkie]

It does happen (request for new police certificates), but from what I read on here, it happens only rarely. Medicals are much more often redone. They, too, are valid for one year, and it's up to CIC whether or not to extend their validity when the process takes more than a year.

 

[juliajulyf]

Hello!

It just occurred to me - I know that CIC will only accept police certificates that have been issued within 3 months. Does that mean 3 months from the date our application is delivered to them or the date they actually open the package and send us AOR?

One of my certificates is dated Dec 2, 2013. The tracking number of our application package says it was delivered on Feb 5. Today is March 4 and so far no AOR. Does that mean my police certificate is okay because it was delivered within the 3 months validity period, or it's now invalid because CIC did not open the package until the 3 months had passed?

I really hope it's the former... because it took me 10 weeks to get that police certificate from the Russian consulate, after several visits, and multiple phone calls almost every day after for weeks... (not to mention, they first refused to do it)

Fingers crossed.

hi! My Police Cert was 4 months old when we received our AOR. As far as i know they usually request for a new one when your application is in your Visa office already and it if it is already expired.

 

[Kayaker]

Thank you for the replies!

Hopefully they don't ask for it to be redone - the FBI one can be done by just sending the fingerprints, but the others (Japanese and Russian for me) require a physical presence, and I probably will be in Canada visiting my husband by the time they get around to my file...

Anyway, fingers and toes crossed!

 

[fandv]

Internally, CIC will treat the certificate as valid for one year from the date of issue.

Oh this is news to me.....

When we submitted our application last year, my wife's police certificate was issued near the end of March 2013, and it was written on it that it would be valid till end of Sept 2013.

And when my wife got her PPR (14 Feb 2014), the letter didn't ask for an updated police certificate. Is it because the CIC still treats her police certificate as still being valid (i.e: till end of March 2014)?

 

[Canuck*soon]

Thank you! That's a relief to hear!

That brings to mind another question - has anyone ever been asked to redo their police certificates because their application took longer than a year to process? I'm going through the Manila office, and the processing time currently stands at 14 months. I'm wondering what are my chances of being asked to redo all the police certificates...

Reading over this section of the forum has me wondering if we've covered all of our bases.
We received a letter from CIC on January 23 stating that We need to complete and return the following prior to July 22, 2014:
- the medical
- FBI clearance
So I went and had my physical and tests and did the fingerprints / fee for the FBI clearance on Jan. 24,2014

My question is: I have seen people mention on this forum that they are sometimes asked to redo their police clearances. When you have received a letter such as the above, should you assume that you should redo ALL of your police clearances, or just the one mentioned.

Please note that we submitted my 2012 RCMP police clearance with the original application in May 2012 ( our application was returned for further information and resubmitted by our immigration lawyer on May 10, 2013), would my RCMP police clearance be expired now?
It just dawned on me that the RCMP police clearance wasn't included in the letter, nor redone in 2014 as it wasn't specifically mentioned in this letter. Should I just assume that they want this repeated too? I'm confused.

If I call CIC will the person I talk with actually be able to look at my application or do they just answer general questions?
I'm very concerned as these clearances take quite a while ......

 

[Kieath]

I feel your pain Kayaker. It took us 10 weeks as well to get our police certificates done, translated, and mailed, and I'm having the same panic. They were done Dec. 6th, 2013, and according to Canada Post the package arrived March 4, 2014. I'm terrified that they will go by any other time than what Canada Post says, especially seeing as no one signed off on it (we asked them to make sure it requested a signature twice, but the post office must have messed up or something). I have the receipt, but I'm so nervous that it won't be recorded as that day, or that because we used their courier address that it will be delayed in some way.

It's just terrifying to read that a lot of people are getting their applications returned 3 months later with no warning. If it wasn't so much work and money, I'd seriously consider starting up the process for police certificates again so we wouldn't have to wait an extra 10 weeks after that if it gets sent back due to that. The whole thing is just frustrating and really doesn't seem to consider that some countries take nearly the 3 months to prepare, let alone send them in in a application.

Best wishes to you, and I don't know if it's true, but from everything I've read it seems to be they take it as long as the application arrives from mail at their office before the police certificates expire. Otherwise it'd simply be impossible as it seems it's taking some people 2+ months to get their AoR right now (at least with inland...I'm not too familiar with outland, but no one has seen a AoR from the new inland CIC-M office from what I've read here).