I have lived in different countries - do i need to get police clearance certificates from all of them?
- Date added:
- Sunday, 23 October 2011
Answer
Each applicant for a Canadian Immigrant Visa, aged 18 or over, is required to prove that he or she
has no criminal record. Police clearance certificates or certificates of non-criminal activity, as they
are sometimes referred to, must be obtained from the country of current residence and from each
country in which the applicant has resided for more than 6 months since his or her 18th
birthday. Police clearance certificates are considered valid for a period of 6 months and they
usually can be obtained through law enforcement offices or other government agencies. If police in
a particular country refuse to issue a clearance, it would be helpful if they provided a written
statement confirming that they refused to issue the clearance. In extenuating circumstances
Canadian visa offices will waive the requirement to submit police clearance certificates.
