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smithcanada

Star Member
Dec 20, 2011
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Went to get certified copies at the university of western ontario's community legal services.

told them i needed them to put the exact statement on the copy as provided by the guide. instead, they have a stamp. so she stamps it on there and inserts the words "an original" into it so that it reads "I certify that this is a true copy of AN ORIGINAL document...." She does not print her name (it is visible on her seal) and does not write the name of the document on it. I insist, and she ensures they "do this all the time. it should be fine."

So, I take the copies home. But I can't sleep. So, I take them back the next day and leave it with them again. They hold it overnight. And then, I get an email with them insisting the document should be fine.

WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR THEM TO FREAKING WRITE OUT THE STATEMENT AND THE NAME OF THE DOCUMENT? I made two trips, spent $40 and still didn't get what I wanted. Maatherchods. Now, I have to pay $90 to go to another notary public and hope he/she writes out the statement exactly.

I am so frustrated right now.
 
Sorry to hear you had such an experience. One thing those frontline staff(secretaries, receptionists, etc) try to avoid are reports getting to their boss. With that in mind, I suggest you go back and ask for her Manager or Supervisor. Be calm but firm and don't leave without speaking to her boss. As long as you don't lose your cool, they have nothing to hold against you. If you still can't get them to do it exactly as needed, ask for your money back. At least you will only be out $90 instead of $130.
 
umm... certified copies can only be done by professionals with legal authorization (lawyers, legal clerks, judges, commissioners of oaths), so complaining about a slacker receptionist is off the mark.

The issue of certifying copies has come under a lot of legal scrutiny & reform in recent years, due to liability issues. In the US, many states even prohibit the making of certified copies. The problem is, you can say that the copy is a copy of the "original" but the person certifying the photocopy has no way of knowing if the "original" is truly an authentic/original legal document.

So the language that the legal service used reflects that concern - they're certifying that the copy is a copy of the document you gave them, but not certifying the authenticity of the original.

Legal services / lawyers will use the language they are comfortable with (or as mandated by local law), not what you (or CIC) demand.

The language they used IS ok and will be accepted by CIC. (I know what the document checklist says, but if CIC demanded that literally, no one in the world would be able to meet that requirement, not even Canadian notaries).

Alternatives to expensive lawyers/legal services - I don't know if this will be true in your community, but I was able to get certified copies from Service Canada for free - ask at your local office if they have a Commissioner of Oaths.

BTW - they also used a stamp. :)
 
i just had it redone by a notary. he wrote out the statement, and stamped it, and sealed it, and signed it. it's ridiculous.
i get your point. but, my issue was that if, at Western, they didn't want to do it my way, they could have just refused. and gave me my 40 bucks back.

anyway, it's done. it was a pain. i felt like i was the worst human being on the planet for insisting that they write out the statement exactly. the guy who finally did it had 40 years of experience and said "you know this is insane." i said "i know, but it's for immigration. they aren't necessarily rational." and he said, "yeah, i know. i'm glad i don't practice that area anymore. it would drive me crazy."
 
I'm not sure where you went to exactly in Western to get that, but I went to the Law Building and the lady there provided me a notarized copy for free (this was not for my CEC application, mind you).
 
smithcanada said:
my issue was that if, at Western, they didn't want to do it my way, they could have just refused. and gave me my 40 bucks back.
Click to expand...

I completely agree, and it does sound like you made it very clear what you wanted. Perhaps it is worth writing a letter -
 
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