PCC from Canada, fingerprints

[majesty]

Hey Majesty-
I know you mentioned to me earlier that it might be wise to get the RCMP fingerprints ready just in case to avoid delays. I'm wondering, if you could do it again; when would you have submitted the fingerprints (I know you got delayed because the request never came).
We are September 1 applicants and wondering if I should get my partner (PA) in Argentina to start getting his now? He was here on a visitor's visa for a year and a bit.
I'm not sure of cost or how long RCMP prints take to get/deliver so it would be helpful to have a better idea of this.
Thank you!!

I was expecting the request with the schedule A requests ... much like this OP (BayernBua) here was requested. However it did not come. At that point in time, I wasn't as paranoid as I am now, not having gone through most of the stages in this process. I thought we should wait and also got some conflicting information about whether everyone who stayed/lived in Canada for 6 months and above consecutively would get the request for the RCMP report. I now believe that most people if not all are expected to submit the fingerprint report if they fit this criteria. So I would say go get the report done (I was still paranoid enough to have gotten it despite what others on this forum said about maybe not getting the request). If you fit this criteria and still haven't gotten the request (this is after you get AOR2), I would say contact the VO to see if they want the report. I know some people waited and got the request a month or 2 later. However, I think if I would have done it over again, I would have emailed the VO and maybe gotten the request sooner maybe. I don't think it is unreasonable to email them first even if they were going to send it eventually on their own time. Maybe you have a more efficient officer processing your app. I still am of the opinion that it's better to be proactive now rather than later. We all want to get our apps processed as soon as possible and giving them a little push within reason might make a difference in getting your app done a little faster.

 

[geografa]

I was expecting the request with the schedule A requests ... much like this OP (BayernBua) here was requested. However it did not come. At that point in time, I wasn't as paranoid as I am now, not having gone through most of the stages in this process. I thought we should wait and also got some conflicting information about whether everyone who stayed/lived in Canada for 6 months and above consecutively would get the request for the RCMP report. I now believe that most people if not all are expected to submit the fingerprint report if they fit this criteria. So I would say go get the report done (I was still paranoid enough to have gotten it despite what others on this forum said about maybe not getting the request). If you fit this criteria and still haven't gotten the request (this is after you get AOR2), I would say contact the VO to see if they want the report. I know some people waited and got the request a month or 2 later. However, I think if I would have done it over again, I would have emailed the VO and maybe gotten the request sooner maybe. I don't think it is unreasonable to email them first even if they were going to send it eventually on their own time. Maybe you have a more efficient officer processing your app. I still am of the opinion that it's better to be proactive now rather than later. We all want to get our apps processed as soon as possible and giving them a little push within reason might make a difference in getting your app done a little faster.

I think this is very wise advice. Can you post the link for how to go about this, please? We got AOR2 a week or so ago.

 

[majesty]

I think this is very wise advice. Can you post the link for how to go about this, please? We got AOR2 a week or so ago.

I don't really have a link to direct you to. Basically this is based on my own thinking ... to contact the VO. If you received an email for AOR2, then you can just send an enquiry to the same email address and mention that your partner was in Canada for x amount of time and that you have not received an email for the RCMP fingerprint certificate and ask if that is something they want? Alternatively, you can just send in the report and explain that he has been in Canada for x amount of time and not even wait for the request. I believe when the Mexico VO requests it, they ask you to send it in via email to VO directly and not upload onto GCKey account nor through IRCC webform.

 

[geografa]

I don't really have a link to direct you to. Basically this is based on my own thinking ... to contact the VO. If you received an email for AOR2, then you can just send an enquiry to the same email address and mention that your partner was in Canada for x amount of time and that you have not received an email for the RCMP fingerprint certificate and ask if that is something they want? Alternatively, you can just send in the report and explain that he has been in Canada for x amount of time and not even wait for the request. I believe when the Mexico VO requests it, they ask you to send it in via email to VO directly and not upload onto GCKey account nor through IRCC webform.

Yes, I'm of the mind to get the report done now and have it ready. I was referring to a link to some info about getting the fingerprints done and requirements etc, if you know it. I've googled and found different things so a recommendation would be super helpful. I am going to learn from your experience, hopefully, and get on it now- knowing how much frustration you guys have had to endure. Thanks again for the tips; I would never have thought of doing this now.

 

[Erin Lynsay]

I think this is very wise advice. Can you post the link for how to go about this, please? We got AOR2 a week or so ago.

If you would like to get your fingerprints taken, you can follow the instructions here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how/canada.html

 

[canadaVisa10]

Going back to the original topic, I do wonder why PCCs where requested then? Since I already submitted my German police check with the application. Is this common?

Perhaps applicants who have sent it upfront can confirm this but I'd reckon it's generic. Probably because they've don't know if there's another country (other than Canada) that you've lived 6 months in (cumulatively). And another poster said the question mark near the upload area says you don't need a Canadian one. Based on instructions by CIC on the Canada Police Certificate page and the forum, you'll be asked for this check if cic needs it later. You don't need to get it now. For reference, I lived in Canada for over 2 years and I don't plan to get it done until I'm specifically asked for it.

 

[majesty]

Perhaps applicants who have sent it upfront can confirm this but I'd reckon it's generic. Probably because they've don't know if there's another country (other than Canada) that you've lived 6 months in (cumulatively). And another poster said the question mark near the upload area says you don't need a Canadian one. Based on instructions by CIC on the Canada Police Certificate page and the forum, you'll be asked for this check if cic needs it later. You don't need to get it now. For reference, I lived in Canada for over 2 years and I don't plan to get it done until I'm specifically asked for it.

I only suggested to the OP to get the RCMP report because I have heard that they may not finish processing your app until the 120 day deadline they give you to submit the report has passed. I don't know with 100% certainty if this is the case but a few people here have said that this was the case with their app and it seems it is the case for mine according to what I see in my GCMS notes. That is 4 bloody months! If they finish everything else, it would be a shame if they just were waiting for this deadline to pass just to complete processing on your app.

Maybe it is the case with certain VO's only. With our VO (Mexico), this seems to be the prevailing trend. Most PA's there who were in Canada for 6 months or more consecutively seemed to get the request for the RCMP report.

 

[WeegieInOttawa]

This Canadian police certificate/check debate is a hot topic at the moment!

 

[Incroyable]

I'm Canadian and sponsoring my German husband! We both moved to Canada this Fall.

Are you in Toronto by any chance?

I just posted this thread about translations and German police checks.

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/german-translations-on-a-budget-frugal-exchange.533541/

Maybe we can help each other out!

 

[canadaVisa10]

I only suggested to the OP to get the RCMP report because I have heard that they may not finish processing your app until the 120 day deadline they give you to submit the report has passed. I don't know with 100% certainty if this is the case but a few people here have said that this was the case with their app and it seems it is the case for mine according to what I see in my GCMS notes. That is 4 bloody months! If they finish everything else, it would be a shame if they just were waiting for this deadline to pass just to complete processing on your app.

Maybe it is the case with certain VO's only. With our VO (Mexico), this seems to be the prevailing trend. Most PA's there who were in Canada for 6 months or more consecutively seemed to get the request for the RCMP report.

Fair enough, @majesty It'd be so awful (and uncharacteristic, or am I being too kind?) of cic to expect documents they've specified they will explicitly request and delay processing due to their miscommunication. Sorry to hear this might have been the case with your application. 4 months delay :/ Can you post a copy of the parts of your GCMS notes that indicates this if you can? Thanks. If I end up getting GCMS notes later, then I can compare them to mine.

And I hear you on it being about specific VOs. I really hope that cic isn't going by stereotypes to decide which applicants are screened more thoroughly though and that it's on a case-by-case basis. Since you've clearly done a lot of digging into this, is there a thread where this pattern you've observed is being discussed? I ask so we can include the link when responding to questions so applicants from regions affected by this can make more informed decisions.

Anyway, I should get the request to submit the checks any day now (strangely, I've only got the med request as yet) so I will update in case I see delays in my background check further down the line.

 

[majesty]

Fair enough, @majesty It'd be so awful (and uncharacteristic, or am I being too kind?) of cic to expect documents they've specified they will explicitly request and delay processing due to their miscommunication. Sorry to hear this might have been the case with your application. 4 months delay :/ Can you post a copy of the parts of your GCMS notes that indicates this if you can? Thanks. If I end up getting GCMS notes later, then I can compare them to mine.

And I hear you on it being about specific VOs. I really hope that cic isn't going by stereotypes to decide which applicants are screened more thoroughly though and that it's on a case-by-case basis. Since you've clearly done a lot of digging into this, is there a thread where this pattern you've observed is being discussed? I ask so we can include the link when responding to questions so applicants from regions affected by this can make more informed decisions.

Anyway, I should get the request to submit the checks any day now (strangely, I've only got the med request as yet) so I will update in case I see delays in my background check further down the line.

I can't say for sure that it has delayed the processing of our app. I just am not sure whether we were also unlucky that it took them 7 weeks to open our app at the VO (that was the first thing that got us really upset). It appears that the Mexico VO opens apps in batches. We just missed the cut off for the March batch, even though our app was transferred at the beginning of March and the next batch to be opened was in May. This just kind of added "insult to injury" with the RCMP report not being requested in due time. Also we can't go by how much longer the process will take because they decided to start our background check (criminality part according to the notes) in February before they transferred our file to the VO. The VO did very little with our background checks until August, according to the notes. The whole process sucked worse for us than most people, I think, with inaction on the part of the VO. I don't think we have major red flags in terms of security issues. I did some digging with our issues, but most of what I know is probably due to being around here for so long ... I have just seen more than the average person because the process has taken so long for us.

I'll post where we caught the "missed" request later. Cheers!

 

[Steb1]

Has anyone got any outcomes for this? My partner and I (currently 6.5 months waiting since our AOR - July 3rd) both lived in Canada for 2 years under the IEC working holiday visas. The ITA instructions advised we didn't need to get PCC for Canada. Our only other PCC was for UK. I have recently ordered GCMS notes, but have a few weeks to wait for them. Should we proactively seek fingerprints/PCC from Canada, or is this really not required?