1. What is a Police Certificate?

All applicants for Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visas, 18 years of age and older, must submit a Police Certificate from each country in which they have lived in for six months or more since their 18th birthday as part of the security clearance process. Police Certificates may go by different names in different countries. They are official documents that indicate any prior criminal activity. If officials in a particular country refuse to issue a Police Certificate, it would be helpful if you could obtain a written statement from them confirming that they refused to issue the certificate.