Express Entry candidates who receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence have 60 days to submit a complete application. One common deadline risk is the police certificate requirement, because some certificates can take months to obtain.
Police certificates can put the 60-day deadline at risk
After receiving an invitation to apply, an Express Entry candidate must submit all required permanent residence documents within 60 days.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires police certificates for every country where the applicant has lived for six months or longer since turning 18, except Canada.
Police certificates are used to check whether an applicant has a criminal record that could make them inadmissible to Canada.
Processing times vary by country. Some police or government authorities issue certificates within days, while others can take months. IRCC advises candidates to avoid delays by starting the police check as soon as they enter the Express Entry pool, rather than waiting for an invitation to apply.
What to do if the certificate is not ready in time
If a candidate cannot obtain a required police certificate before the 60-day deadline, they may still submit the application if they provide evidence that they tried to get it.
In that situation, the candidate should upload two items in the country-specific police certificate field of the document checklist:
- A letter of explanation
- Proof that they made every reasonable effort to obtain the police certificate before the deadline
Acceptable proof can include:
- Confirmation or payment receipt
- Delivery notice
- Tracking number
- Correspondence from the issuing agency explaining the delay
- Correspondence showing why the certificate cannot be issued
An immigration officer will decide whether the explanation and evidence are sufficient. Acceptance is discretionary. If the officer is not satisfied that the applicant made every reasonable effort, the application may be rejected as incomplete.
Submitting the application without the police certificate and without supporting evidence will result in the application being considered incomplete and refused for processing.
If a candidate does not have enough documentation to show reasonable efforts, declining the invitation to apply may be the better option. If the profile has not expired, declining the invitation returns the candidate to the Express Entry pool, but another invitation is not guaranteed.
Countries that require an IRCC request letter
Some countries will not issue a police certificate unless the applicant provides an official request letter from IRCC.
In that case, the candidate can still submit the permanent residence application before the 60-day deadline. In the police certificate field of the document checklist, they should upload a document stating:
“I am applying from a country that requires an official request letter from IRCC to get a police certificate.”
IRCC will review the application. If the application is otherwise complete, IRCC will send more information on how to obtain the police certificate.
How to get a police certificate
A police certificate is usually requested from the local police or government authority in the relevant country or territory.
Depending on the jurisdiction, the document may have another name, such as:
- Police clearance certificate
- Good conduct certificate
- Judicial record extract
The applicant may need to pay a fee and provide photographs, fingerprints, and a record of addresses and residence dates in that country or territory.
Country-specific instructions are available through IRCC’s official police certificate page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how.html
For Express Entry applications, IRCC accepts only colour scans of original police certificates. Certified true copies and unauthorized copies are not accepted and can lead to rejection.
If the police certificate is not in English or French, the applicant must include both the original certificate and a translation from a certified translator.
Police certificate validity rules
IRCC applies different validity rules depending on whether the certificate is for the applicant’s current country of residence or a previous country of residence.
For the current country of residence, the police certificate must have been issued no more than six months before the permanent residence application is submitted.
For any previous country where the candidate lived for six consecutive months or more after turning 18, the police certificate must have been issued after the candidate’s final period of residence in that country.
The practical risk is timing. Candidates who wait until after receiving an invitation to apply may not have enough time to obtain certificates from slow jurisdictions. Starting police certificate requests while still in the Express Entry pool can reduce the chance of missing the 60-day deadline.
Source article: www.cicnews.com
