Question about background checks

[helpless]

If the CIC will conduct their own background check on the applicant after getting your package. Why do they make you do it and send it in the package? It seems like double the work for the same thing.

 

[Emmy]

From what I understand, there's two different types of checks. I assume you're referring to the police checks you have to include with your application. But there's also another background security check which they do (not sure if they do it for everyone...I read on another forum that they only do it for a minority of specific cases or for applicants from certain regions), which is conducted by CSIS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Security_Intelligence_Service). This one is handled directly by CSIS and is totally independant of CIC. Apparently they do a deep background check on the applicant and deal with every country you've lived in for more than 6 months to make sure your background checks out, and that you're not a potential security risk to Canada. The time it takes seems to really vary from case to case.

 

[helpless]

ok thank you very much. That explains alot

 

[helpless]

How do you know when the background check is finished?

 

[Emmy]

When CIC says so I guess. But it's not something they ever contact you about. I only know they're still waiting on mine as they responded to my enquiry about the status of my application and told me it was still pending. I guess when they request my passport soon, I can assume the background check is complete.

 

[mitamata]

They do the background check on everyone. They just do different levels of it on different people, that's partly the reason why it takes longer for some than others. Some are investigated more closely than others.

I don't think you will every hear "background check is complete" from them. You'll just get the "approved" or "rejected" when it's all done.