proof of professional qualifications/certifications

[upp942]

According to the Buffalo VO specific instructions, I need to provide a:

Professional qualifications certificates: any proof of further training or
certification relative to your current occupation/profession

I talked to my consultant and they said that these have to be notarized. When I asked a notary public to notarize a copy of my license, they said that it's illegal for them to authenticate a document or a copy of a license. Am I missing something here?

Any help would be appreciated.

[barsindoo]

I think the notary public is unexposed. Notarising a document is justing confirming that what a person brought to you is a true copy of the original document.

I think you need to visit a more enlightened notary.

[upp942]

I think the notary public is unexposed. Notarising a document is justing confirming that what a person brought to you is a true copy of the original document.

I think you need to visit a more enlightened notary.

Thanks for the comment barsindoo. I will look for several more notaries public

[hijrat]

i agree with barsindoo. notry public registers the document and stamps the copy as to be deemed true copy of the original.

[Mezo2009]

I think the notary public is unexposed. Notarising a document is justing confirming that what a person brought to you is a true copy of the original document.

I think you need to visit a more enlightened notary.

Agreed. Notarizing a document doesn't authenticate the validity if its content, it's only showing that the copy is a replica to the original. If the original itself is not authentic, this will be the scope of other agencies and not the public notary.

Cheers

[jes_ON]

WRONG - it is now illegal for notary publics in many (if not most) US states to certify copies of certain documents, and it is precisely because of the liability issue - there is NO WAY that a notary can know if the document is genuine or fake (even tho that is not the meaning of certified copy).  For example, notaries in most states CANNOT certify copies of birth certificates - you must order a certified copy from the the state.  Notaries are regulated at the state level, and the rules vary by state:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_copy#Copy_certification_by_U.S._notaries

If you actually need a certified copy, you will need to (a) identify and travel to a state that still permits this, or (b) order a certified copy from the organization that issued the license.

But the bigger question is - what is your Visa Office?  It sounds like you're from the USA, and if you are submitting to Buffalo, Buffalo no longer requires certified copies.   

If that is the case - you can read the visa-office specific instructions and see that certified copies are not required (you can compare that to the London office, which does require notarized copies).

Buffalo
www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/E37048.pdf

London
www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/E37023.pdf

[Mezo2009]

Each notary public in each country acts NY its own laws. I'm not sure about the US but middle east, notary public certifies the copy as replica of the original and even puts a clear disclaimer under the notary seal to diffuse accountability.

Cheers