will I receive a refusal if a police certificate is missing?

[sofiya]

Hi,
I am sponsoring my father, he passed his medical exam in September 2010 in Canada (on travel Visa), in November 2010 we received an email from the Visa office in Romania that he needs to present a police certificate from Libya where he used to work for one year - in 1983. We have already sent to the Visa office a letter with explanation that we are unable to obtain this certificate - we have asked the Libyan embassies in Canada and Bulgaria for help and neither of them can do anything about it - they all say that they are unable to help with such documents, they do not have information (address or phone number) for Police Headquarters in Tripoli (as stated on the CIC site) and that in order to send any request to Libya they need my father's passport from 1983 (we don't have this passport). I have sent another letter to the Visa office explaining everything and asking for advise (we've been recommended by CIC to offer to the Visa office to sign a Statutory Declaration in front of a Canadian Commissioner of Oath that my father has a clean criminal record) but I am still worried that we might receive a refusal. Everything else is fine withe our application - financials, medicals, other documents are in tact.
Please tell me what you think. Thanks!

 

[scylla]

I don't think anyone can answer your question for certain since it's ultimately up to the CIC if they accept or reject.

My husband's application was successfully processed without having one police certificate (which we tried for months to obtain but couldn't).

When you sent the letter explaining that you weren't able to provide the PC, did you include a detailed write up of the steps you had taken to try to get the PC, mention issues such as the fact that you don't have his 1983 passport, provide supporting documentation (e.g. emails from the Libyan embassies asking for help and their replies)? We included this type of information in detail and it worked for us.

Hope this helps.

 

[sofiya]

Hi scylla,
thanks for your response. I spoke with CIC and they told me that as per them this certificate is not needed, they care for the last 10 years only (my father was in Libya 27 years ago), but the Visa office requires certificates for any country after 18 years of age. I sent explanation to the visa office with all the steps we have taken to obtain this certificate, however there is not much evidence to support my explanations since the lady in the Libyan embassy in Ottawa told me they do not put such information in written. The Consulate clerk in the Libyan embassy in Bulgaria said the same, but at least she agreed to send me an email, saying they do not issue Police clearance, which I attached to my letter to the Visa office.
I am hoping that there is someone with the same problem here at the forum that can give me information where I could obtain more evidence to support my claim, or even better - to tell me how can I issue such certificate.
Also, since I cannot communicate with the Visa office over the phone (they want you to contact them only by fax or mail), does anyone know which agency is in charge of the Visa offices here in Canada?
thanks again!