Police Clearance Request Definition

[ymserver]

Hello,

I got a police clearance request (even though I submitted a RCMP Criminal Record Check with the application. I guess it expired in 3 months so the Hong Kong Visa office is requesting it again).

And it says "Police Certificate: From each country/state where the residence period has been six months or longer since the age of 18, provide an original police clearance certificate from Hong Kong SAR. " copied word for word from the email.

I am confused with the wording. Could anyone offer some advice?


From the part "From each country/state where the residence period has been six months or longer since the age of 18, provide an original police clearance certificate", I understand it as whichever country I have lived for longer than 6 months after my age of 18, I should provide a police certificate from that country. If that is the case, then for me it would only be a Canadian police certificate (i.e. the RCMP Criminal Record Check), because I have been living and studying in Canada since the age of 18 and never travelled to Hong Kong or other countries for more than 6 consecutive months.

However, from the second part of the paragraph "provide an original police clearance certificate from Hong Kong SAR", it seems like regardless of where I lived since age of 18, the office still wants a police certificate from Hong Kong (even though I have not lived there for more than 6 months consecutively).

So my question is, should I supply the police certificate only from Canada, or only from Hong Kong, or might as well Both?!




(If the paragraph is "Police Certificate: From each country/state where the residence period has been six months or longer since the age of 18, provide an original police clearance certificate to Hong Kong SAR". Then it totally makes sense, but it's "from"! That's confusing.)

Thank you for any help in advance!

 

[scylla]

If you have only lived in Canada since the age of 18 it's actually quite common for CIC to request a police certificate from your home country (even though you haven't lived there for six months since the age of 18). I would go ahead and obtain one for Hong Kong.

 

[yvr1234]

We had a very similar situation.

Hubby never stayed more than 6 months after he turned 18 but we still got the Police Clearance from HK.

We had no further request from our initial application and got his PR.

 

[ymserver]

I see. All right I will request one from Hong Kong then. Thank you very much!

By the way, CIC only gave me 4 weeks to submit the police certificate, but Hong Kong's police department says they will take "up to 4 weeks" to process the police certificate application. (And it will take 4 days to mail the application from Canada to Hong Kong police department)

Was yours mailed (from HK police department) to CIC on time?

Did the HK police department give/ email you any confirmation of receipt after receiving the application? (so that later I can forward it to HKVO and explained that HKPD is already processing it)

Thanks!

 

[yvr1234]

We submitted it at the initial application package. So we don't know about the the deadline for information.
You may need to contact them to see if they can you any extension.

My hubby went to the police station/head quarter and got the request back then. There was a number that we included in our application. I think the actual record was sent to CIC directly. Not through us.

Try the HK thread and see if someone can give you more help.

 

[ymserver]

I see. Thanks!

 

[gungun]

I see. All right I will request one from Hong Kong then. Thank you very much!

By the way, CIC only gave me 4 weeks to submit the police certificate, but Hong Kong's police department says they will take "up to 4 weeks" to process the police certificate application. (And it will take 4 days to mail the application from Canada to Hong Kong police department)

Was yours mailed (from HK police department) to CIC on time?

Did the HK police department give/ email you any confirmation of receipt after receiving the application? (so that later I can forward it to HKVO and explained that HKPD is already processing it)

Thanks!

Hi, I am facing the same problem now. It takes 4 weeks for the HK police to process it, but the CIC only gives 4 weeks deadline. With the time needed to put together the application and have it sent from Canada to Hong Kong, it just doesn't add up. So how did you solve the issue here?

Thanks.

 

[Buletruck]

By the way, CIC only gave me 4 weeks to submit the police certificate, but Hong Kong's police department says they will take "up to 4 weeks" to process the police certificate application. (And it will take 4 days to mail the application from Canada to Hong Kong police department)

We sent the receipt from the application for the police clearance as soon as we got it to CIC to confirm we had started processing their request, along with a note letting them know that the PC would follow as soon as it was received. We also sent the police certificate unopened, as it was mentioned (and I can't remember where) that they prefer them in the sealed original envelopes. We included another note when we got it with the application and UIC number stating that we gave permission to the visa office/officer to open the sealed envelope (cause its illegal to open other peoples mail).

 

[ymserver]

Hi, I am facing the same problem now. It takes 4 weeks for the HK police to process it, but the CIC only gives 4 weeks deadline. With the time needed to put together the application and have it sent from Canada to Hong Kong, it just doesn't add up. So how did you solve the issue here?

Thanks.

From the back and forth email inquires with the HKVO, apparently they just require us to submit the HK police cert application to HK Police Dept within the 4 weeks from their request letter date. And you satisfy HKVO by emailing them the proof that you have applied for the hk police cert (eg courier delivery receipt or a receipt given by HK police dept after they receive your application. I got my receipt in the mail even when I live in Canada! How nice are they.) After HKVO is notified that you have applied for the HK police cert within that 4 weeks (use email inquiry), the "4 week deadline" imposed by HKVO doesnt apply any more. It's ok for HK police dept to send in the police cert to HKVO past the "4 week deadline". However, this "allowance" is not written anywhere, so it's up to the final decision of the HKVO.

Anyway, I found out that my HK police cert was sent to HKVO a few days after the 4 weeks period, because after I got the request letter from HKVO, it took a few days for me to courier the application from Canada to HK police dept. And it was ok, HKVO did not say anything about them receiving the hk police cert later than the 4 week deadline.

That being said, you should still submit the HK police cert application as soon as you get the request letter.