If you’re applying for an IEC permit to Canada (Working Holiday or other category), you may need to provide one or more police certificates.
In general, you need to provide a police certificate from:
- Your country of citizenship, unless it is a country where exemptions or special instructions apply (explained more in the following section).
– The exemption does not apply if you answer “Yes” to a question about a criminal offence or arrest in your application. - Any country where you have spent more than 6 months since the age of 18.
Citizens of exempt countries
If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you don’t need to provide a police certificate from that country for your IEC application.
- Andorra, Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland.
However, you still need to provide a police certificate for other countries in which you have lived for 6 months or more since turning 18.
If you’ve already lived in Canada
If you’ve already lived in Canada for more than 6 months since the age of 18, you may be wondering if you need a police certificate from Canada as well.
For the vast majority of applicants, the answer is “no”.
On their FAQ page, Canadian authorities clarify that:
“If you have lived in Canada for more than 6 months since the age of 18, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) may ask you for fingerprints to complete your criminal record check.”
Thus, in the unlikely event that the Canadian authorities need to confirm your identity, they would only ask you to provide your fingerprints. In any case, there is no need to request them in advance; simply wait to hear from them if they require them.
How to apply for a police certificate
As you might imagine, the process to obtain a police certificate completely depends on the country in question.
Since the term “police certificate” is not universal and can have numerous different synonyms and translations, it is important that you obtain the exact document that Canadian authorities require.
Fortunately, the government of Canada specifies exact requirements for each country on their website. Select your country and follow the instructions provided.
Shortcuts to a few countries:
FAQ
After you complete the application form, the IRCC portal will tell you which countries you need a police certificate from, based on the answers you provide regarding your residence history.
Be prepared – don’t wait till the last minute to familiarize yourself with the process of obtaining police certificates.
If you really can’t receive your certificate in time before the application deadline, you can provide IRCC with proof that you have applied for a certificate and are still waiting for it. They may grant you an extension.
For a country you used to live in: Yes, but the police certificate must be issued AFTER the last time you resided there for 6 consecutive months or longer since the age of 18. It can be accepted even if there is an expiration date that has passed printed on the police certificate.
For your current country of residence: The police certificate must be issued no more than 6 months before the date you submit your application.
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