Police certificates for citizenship application: Not more than 6 months old

[limhockkiong]

Hi, I read somewhere (cannot locate the source anymore - if someone can point me to it that'll be great) the police certificate issued for citizenship application cannot be more than 6 months old.

Does that mean the police certificate have to be less than 6 months old from the date of application or from the date of AOR (when the application is received and acknowledged by IRCC)?

Also, if one I submits or mails the application by Canada Post a day after the date of the signature on the application form, ie not doing everything in one single day, would that be an issue?

 

[dpenabill]

Hi, I read somewhere (cannot locate the source anymore - if someone can point me to it that'll be great) the police certificate issued for citizenship application cannot be more than 6 months old.

Does that mean the police certificate have to be less than 6 months old from the date of application or from the date of AOR (when the application is received and acknowledged by IRCC)?

Also, if one I submits or mails the application by Canada Post a day after the date of the signature on the application form, ie not doing everything in one single day, would that be an issue?

Police clearance certificates need to be issued EITHER:

-- After the last time you were in that country or territory; or​

-- No more than 6 months before the date you sign your citizenship application​

This is stated on the face of the adult citizenship application form, CIT 0002, below the box for entering name of country in response to Question 10.b)

It is also stated in the guide for completing the adult grant citizenship application, likewise in instructions for answering Question 10.b) . . . here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-0002-application-canadian-citizenship-under-subsection-5-1-adults-18-years-older.html#Step4

Reminder: if in doubt, follow the instructions; otherwise, yep, follow the instructions.

Moreover, this is essentially the standard for PCCs submitted to IRCC in regards to applications generally.

Six month criteria is obviously as of the date of the application. There is no indication that IRCC rejects or returns citizenship applications if an attached PCC does not technically comply with this. Close likely gets a pass, at least in terms of passing the completeness screening so that the application will processed.

However, in the course of processing the citizenship application if IRCC is not satisfied with the PCC it may request the applicant to submit another, which would be non-routine and result in a longer processing time; also NOTE: IRCC can request applicants to submit PCCs or additional PCCs anytime during processing.

Date of mailing or sending the application is of little or no relevance. Dates in the application and presence calculation, including in particular the date the application is signed and dates establishing the eligibility period, must be consistent. As long as the application is sent in time to be received less than 90 days after the signature date that meets the criteria to pass the completeness screening (if not within the 90 period, the application is considered stale and is returned).

 

[tahaa21]

Hello to All,

Requiring some clarification

Citizenship Eligibility Dates: 5Yrs ( 15-Jul-2017 to 15-Jul-2022) Application date will be 16-Jul-2022.

My question is regarding the requirement of PCC for period of 4 yrs ( 15-Jul-2018 to 15-Jul-2022)

- I landed in Canada as a PR (First landing) from Kuwait on 02-Nov-2018 and stayed for 15 days & returned back to Kuwait.
- Left Kuwait permanently on 15-06-2019 ( stayed more that 200 days after getting PR in Kuwait)
- Stayed in India for 15 days and shifted permanently to Canada in Jul 2019 (stayed 15 days in India)

The question is do I need to get PCC from Kuwait since I stayed more than 200 days after returning from Canada. (Kuwait PCC was submitted with PR application)

Note in the citizenship form is
"If you were in your country or territory of origin immediately prior to becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada and this time falls within this four (4) years ,you are not required to provide a police certificate"

If my country of origin is Kuwait then based on the above statement I don't need to get PCC but I want to be sure .

Appreciate if anyone can help/clarify.

Regards.

 

[limhockkiong]

Police clearance certificates need to be issued EITHER:

-- After the last time you were in that country or territory; or​

-- No more than 6 months before the date you sign your citizenship application​

This is stated on the face of the adult citizenship application form, CIT 0002, below the box for entering name of country in response to Question 10.b)

It is also stated in the guide for completing the adult grant citizenship application, likewise in instructions for answering Question 10.b) . . . here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-0002-application-canadian-citizenship-under-subsection-5-1-adults-18-years-older.html#Step4

Reminder: if in doubt, follow the instructions; otherwise, yep, follow the instructions.

Moreover, this is essentially the standard for PCCs submitted to IRCC in regards to applications generally.

Six month criteria is obviously as of the date of the application. There is no indication that IRCC rejects or returns citizenship applications if an attached PCC does not technically comply with this. Close likely gets a pass, at least in terms of passing the completeness screening so that the application will processed.

However, in the course of processing the citizenship application if IRCC is not satisfied with the PCC it may request the applicant to submit another, which would be non-routine and result in a longer processing time; also NOTE: IRCC can request applicants to submit PCCs or additional PCCs anytime during processing.

Date of mailing or sending the application is of little or no relevance. Dates in the application and presence calculation, including in particular the date the application is signed and dates establishing the eligibility period, must be consistent. As long as the application is sent in time to be received less than 90 days after the signature date that meets the criteria to pass the completeness screening (if not within the 90 period, the application is considered stale and is returned).

Thanks @dpenabill.

This is clear.

 

[limhockkiong]

Hello to All,

Requiring some clarification

Citizenship Eligibility Dates: 5Yrs ( 15-Jul-2017 to 15-Jul-2022) Application date will be 16-Jul-2022.

My question is regarding the requirement of PCC for period of 4 yrs ( 15-Jul-2018 to 15-Jul-2022)

- I landed in Canada as a PR (First landing) from Kuwait on 02-Nov-2018 and stayed for 15 days & returned back to Kuwait.
- Left Kuwait permanently on 15-06-2019 ( stayed more that 200 days after getting PR in Kuwait)
- Stayed in India for 15 days and shifted permanently to Canada in Jul 2019 (stayed 15 days in India)

The question is do I need to get PCC from Kuwait since I stayed more than 200 days after returning from Canada. (Kuwait PCC was submitted with PR application)

Note in the citizenship form is
"If you were in your country or territory of origin immediately prior to becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada and this time falls within this four (4) years ,you are not required to provide a police certificate"

If my country of origin is Kuwait then based on the above statement I don't need to get PCC but I want to be sure .

Appreciate if anyone can help/clarify.

Regards.

I have a similar situation to yours. Based on the guideline, do you not need to provide the PCC from your country of origin (in your case, Kuwait). Country of origin need not be country of birth, as I understand it. It is just where you were physically located when you were granted the Canadian PR and so, in your case, it is Kuwait.

 

[dpenabill]

Hello to All,

Requiring some clarification

Citizenship Eligibility Dates: 5Yrs ( 15-Jul-2017 to 15-Jul-2022) Application date will be 16-Jul-2022.

My question is regarding the requirement of PCC for period of 4 yrs ( 15-Jul-2018 to 15-Jul-2022)

- I landed in Canada as a PR (First landing) from Kuwait on 02-Nov-2018 and stayed for 15 days & returned back to Kuwait.
- Left Kuwait permanently on 15-06-2019 ( stayed more that 200 days after getting PR in Kuwait)
- Stayed in India for 15 days and shifted permanently to Canada in Jul 2019 (stayed 15 days in India)

The question is do I need to get PCC from Kuwait since I stayed more than 200 days after returning from Canada. (Kuwait PCC was submitted with PR application)

Note in the citizenship form is
"If you were in your country or territory of origin immediately prior to becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada and this time falls within this four (4) years ,you are not required to provide a police certificate"

If my country of origin is Kuwait then based on the above statement I don't need to get PCC but I want to be sure .

Appreciate if anyone can help/clarify.

Regards.

I have a similar situation to yours. Based on the guideline, do you not need to provide the PCC from your country of origin (in your case, Kuwait). Country of origin need not be country of birth, as I understand it. It is just where you were physically located when you were granted the Canadian PR and so, in your case, it is Kuwait.

Reminder: follow the instructions for item 10.b). Which means the first question is a simple factual one: were you in another country for six months during the FOUR years preceding the date of your application. If yes, check yes, and list that country in the box.

If you believe an EXCEPTION applies, check NO in the box in the column "I will provide a Police Certificate" and give an explanation in the box in the "Explanation" column.


Country of Origin Exception:

Caution: read the instructions literally. The "Note" regarding the exception for time in "your country or territory of origin" references a time "PRIOR to becoming a permanent resident," so obviously, literally, that is NOT referring to a time in that same country AFTER becoming a PR.

Also see the examples in the guide and Example 1 in particular, which specifically illustrates the exception applies if the PR "did not travel to [country of origin] after [the PR] became a permanent resident."

So if you traveled to the country AFTER becoming a PR, the exception does NOT apply, the instruction is to include a PCC.

Practical Note: until recently the anecdotal reporting indicated that even if the explanation was not applicable, the application would pass the completeness screening and it would be later in the process that IRCC requested a PCC. However, some recent anecdotal reporting in the forum suggests that IRCC has been screening this more closely during the completeness check and returning some applications if it is determined the applicant should have included a PCC and the applicant's explanation is not accepted.

Conclusion: it appears that most would give a simple answer "Yes" here, a PCC needs to be submitted with the application. But my approach is to share the known information, with some explanation, and it is up to you to decide what you do.