Police Certificate

[rfasihi]

I agree with what you are saying. For my PR application, I had submitted my application without a PCC with a letter attached that I have applied for the PCC and I would provide it to CIC as soon as I get my AOR and the PCC. Everything went fine.

Now that being said, if not providing a PCC and one mentions the reasons as to why one cannot get them, the decision rests with the case officers if they are willing to let it go or not. This might cause delays in the application, but if it is near impossible to get the PCC, then go ahead and provide a letter with strong reasons as to why the PCC cannot be obtained.

Thanks for your input, i lived in Qatar on work residence and have already submitted PCC for all previous years except the last leaving year, however i went through legal cancellation of my work visa from ministry on interior Qatar without any objection, i had submitted that paper as well. In worst case i can provide PCC as well.. though a time taking.

 

[dpenabill]

Hi friends
I have submitted my pr application and i have my AOR.
Since i resided more than 6 months in Australia I provided a police certificate from Aus federal police.
Here is the Q
Is there goin to be a problem regarding my application If I travel again to Australia next month? As they need a certificate obtained after our last exit
Tnx in advance

The short answer is that the odds are very high a brief trip to Australia while a citizenship application is in process will NOT cause any problem. Main issues are related to getting and timely responding to correspondence or notices from IRCC, depending on the timing of the travel and how long you are away, and how you are collecting mail, which have NOTHING to do with the validity of a police certificate submitted with the application. If the police certificate was valid and timely when submitted, it remains valid.

Thus, the really short answer is NO, no problem.

No problem.



But note that the complete answer is far more complicated. And is tangled in what is meant by "a problem."

Note, for example, any applicant can be asked to submit a police certificate from any country in which the applicant has traveled, however briefly, or even from a country that IRCC merely suspects the applicant has visited even though the applicant has not declared any travel to that country. Even if the applicant's first ever trip to a country was after applying, was for way less than six months, IRCC has the discretion to request a background clearance for that country. THAT IS NOT LIKELY, but it is possible, and the odds of that increase if there is any reason for IRCC to apprehend, to suspect, that the applicant has been charged with an offense in that country ANY TIME PRIOR TO ACTUALLY TAKING THE OATH.

Thus, for example, if you were to be arrested and charged with an offense in Australia during this trip, that would be a problem and if it is for what would be an indictable offense in Canada, that would be a disqualifying problem (most common occurrences tend to be driving under the influence or domestic violence offenses), a prohibition.

Also note: a police certificate issued within the previous six months, as of the date the application is made, should be timely enough to satisfy the requirement of submitting a police certificate with the application, even if the last exit from that country was more recent than the date the certificate was issued. Recognizing, again, that IRCC nonetheless has discretion to request a more recent police certificate right up to when the oath is taken.

 

[Bablamun]

Or you can wait for few months then apply then no need for PCC

 

[samax]

Hi guys, just a quick question: How long you think police certificate is valid? I have a police certificate from a country that I've lived more than 186 days in 2017 (I got it at the end of my stay), however this document is now over than 8 months old, do you think this police certificate is still acceptable for citizenship application or I need to get a new police certificate. Appreciate if you can help me soon, thanks alot!

 

[btbt]

Hi guys, just a quick question: How long you think police certificate is valid? I have a police certificate from a country that I've lived more than 186 days in 2017 (I got it at the end of my stay), however this document is now over than 8 months old, do you think this police certificate is still acceptable for citizenship application or I need to get a new police certificate. Appreciate if you can help me soon, thanks alot!

If you have not traveled to that country since, then it will still be considered valid.

 

[marioaziz86]

It is not a weird requirement. Again: Canada does not want to give citizenship to criminals. And if you have only lived in Canada for three years they know barely anything about you. That is why they want to know what you did during that fourth year.

I know it is frustrating and time consuming and I also don't doubt that you are not a criminal. But again, it makes sense, no matter how frustrating it is.

I don't know why they are asking to get the police certificate from the person who didn't went outside of Canada after landing in Canada. As they definitely provide the police certificate with the immigration application probably multiple times as it' valid for only 6 months.
Its very frusrating specially if you live in Saudia Arabia and you need to get it when you are not even living there anymore.

 

[kyvan]

hi guys

any real experience from those who have been the whole 3 years in canada and did not send PCC
has their documents been accepted ?

 

[btbt]

I don't know why they are asking to get the police certificate from the person who didn't went outside of Canada after landing in Canada. As they definitely provide the police certificate with the immigration application probably multiple times as it' valid for only 6 months.
Its very frusrating specially if you live in Saudia Arabia and you need to get it when you are not even living there anymore.

Because it is a legal requirement, i.e. it is part of the law on acquiring Canadian citizenship.

As far as we can tell IRCC considers a PCC to be valid if it was issued near the end or after your most recent stay in a country. If you have not travelled to the country since the PCC was issued then it is still usable.

If acquiring a PCC is something you do not wish to do then you can wait until you have been in Canada for 3 years and 183 days (so that, in the last four years, you have spent less than 183 days in another country).

(This does not guarantee that a PCC will not be requested by IRCC, if they consider it necessary. It means you do not need to provide one by default.)

hi guys

any real experience from those who have been the whole 3 years in canada and did not send PCC
has their documents been accepted ?

A few people on the forum have mentioned that they were told, at their interview, that they would need to provide a PCC.
That means that the application will initially be accepted for processing (so you'd get the AOR), but once that particular check is performed the application is no longer considered complete.

 

[spyfy]

I don't know why they are asking to get the police certificate from the person who didn't went outside of Canada after landing in Canada. As they definitely provide the police certificate with the immigration application probably multiple times as it' valid for only 6 months.
Its very frusrating specially if you live in Saudia Arabia and you need to get it when you are not even living there anymore.

The police certificate you used for immigration doesn't cover the months (or years) immediately before becoming a PR. Keep in mind that especially for pre-Express Entry PR applications, the processing took forever.

Say you applied for PR in October 2013, get approved December 2014 and activate your PR in March 2015. So you became eligible for citizenship in March 2018 (assuming you never left Canada).

Now Canada wants to make sure you were "crime-free" in the four years before applying, i.e. in the period March 2014 until March 2018.
How is the police certificate you sumitted in October 2013 going to help here? You need proof that there are no records for the time of March 2014 until March 2015 (before you came to Canada). That's why they want a newer certificate.

I know it is frustrating to get a PCC from some countries, e.g. Saudi Arabia which you are mentioning.

But you asked why the are asking for a PCC who didn't leave Canada since becoming a PR. The above example is the reason.

 

[MARCHIE]

i have recently acquired the PCC from Qatar with the help of an agency DO I NEED TO GET MY pcc from Qatar attested by Ministry of Foreign affairs. I don't see that as an required criteria mentioned on the CIC website....KINDLY ADVISE

 

[naznazem]

Hey Guys
Please share your valuable opinions:
I landed to Canada as PR on 27 Feb 2015.
I haven't gone out of Canada till now. So I became eligible for Citizenship on 28 Feb 2018.
Now the Police clearance is required if I have lived 183 days OUT of Canada over last 4 years.
So I am stopped!!!!!

Now if I apply now, considering my PR date on 27 Feb 2015 I need a Police clearance.
But if I apply on or after 30 Aug 2018, the 183 days requirement is OVER I THINK.

Is my calculation OK?

Please share your opinion.

 

[utom1987]

I lived in Australia and need to provide police cert so do i need to select the one with finger print or not ? Can you please share the link to exactly which police check should i select. I am confused that should i just follow the instructions ? there is no need for the fingerprints right ? I lived in NSW
Thankyou
Regards

 

[paradoxunlimited]

dear friends, any one of you applied for citizenship after 3 years in Canada "without Police Clearence" and got rejected / returned application from IRCC? I mean you answered 9 (a) as YES and did not provide PCC?

 

[paradoxunlimited]

Hey Guys
Please share your valuable opinions:
I landed to Canada as PR on 27 Feb 2015.
I haven't gone out of Canada till now. So I became eligible for Citizenship on 28 Feb 2018.
Now the Police clearance is required if I have lived 183 days OUT of Canada over last 4 years.
So I am stopped!!!!!

Now if I apply now, considering my PR date on 27 Feb 2015 I need a Police clearance.
But if I apply on or after 30 Aug 2018, the 183 days requirement is OVER I THINK.

Is my calculation OK?

Please share your opinion.

yes that satisfies the clause means you lived 3Y6 months in Canada and you stayed less than 183 days in other country in last 4 years. Just one caution, make sure the application signing date in more than 3 year 6 months eg: 3 year 6 month 15 days or 3 year 7 months to be safe...

 

[paradoxunlimited]

The police certificate you used for immigration doesn't cover the months (or years) immediately before becoming a PR. Keep in mind that especially for pre-Express Entry PR applications, the processing took forever.

Say you applied for PR in October 2013, get approved December 2014 and activate your PR in March 2015. So you became eligible for citizenship in March 2018 (assuming you never left Canada).

Now Canada wants to make sure you were "crime-free" in the four years before applying, i.e. in the period March 2014 until March 2018.
How is the police certificate you sumitted in October 2013 going to help here? You need proof that there are no records for the time of March 2014 until March 2015 (before you came to Canada). That's why they want a newer certificate.

I know it is frustrating to get a PCC from some countries, e.g. Saudi Arabia which you are mentioning.

But you asked why the are asking for a PCC who didn't leave Canada since becoming a PR. The above example is the reason.

I do differ in opinion. A lot of country doesnt provide police certificate for PAST TIME for example Dec 2014 to March 2015. They only provide PCC from the local area of jurisdiction based on the crime report on the persons name lodged present time. which means the PCC is invalid as the person is not even living there. clear?