Certified Criminal Record Check Experience

[KStene22 79]

Hi everyone.  There are a lot of questions on here about certified criminal record checks.  I thought I would document my experience (and mistakes) to provide more information for people searching for answers.

 

First and foremost, I chose to go to my local police station to get my record check done.  I live in Regina, SK.  We do have a Commissionaires here, but to be honest, I have had several record checks done before at the police station for volunteering and I just felt more comfortable with the familiar.  Let this be a lessons to you: the wonderful hard-working people at your local police department do not work for immigration and do not have training or expertise in the area.  If you do not know exactly what to ask them for, they will likely give you the wrong thing.  I was specifically told that everyone needs to do their research first so you know EXACTLY what to ask for.  They are capable of getting what you need, but they don't necessarily have the knowledge of what NVC and the Montreal consulate require.  

 

With that... my initial check was completed in late Dec of 2019.  I went a few weeks ago (mid Dec of 2020) to have my check done again since they are only good for one year, and at this point we are anticipating an interview in Feb/March.  I followed the instructions found here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Canada.html. 

 

Procedure for Obtaining: To obtain this document, you must submit your fingerprints to a local police service or RCMP-approved partner agency.  YOU MUST STATE THAT YOU ARE REQUESTING THE RECORD UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT.  Do not select “Visa/Border Crossing” as the purpose of the request. You must also specifically request the record which includes the “RCMP National Repository entire holdings.”  

 

I told the lady I needed a certified criminal record check with fingerprinting and was given the proper form.  It says right on it that it will be accessing the RCMP National Repository.  I filled out my personal info, and for "reason" checked off Other and wrote Privacy Act beside it.  Since these are the only instructions I had seen, I left it at that and everything was submitted.  2.5 weeks later I received my criminal record check and it was incorrectly done.  See attached pic.  **Also important to note is that my initial check, done over a year ago and also incorrectly done, was accepted by NVC**  I'm glad I've figured this out now and didn't go to Montreal with the incorrect version. 

 

I went back today with this.  I highlighted the bottom section "Other (Provide Details)".  I explained that there should be three subtypes to choose from under Privacy Act and that it needed to be Other.  She understood and said it would be no problem. It seems that if you don't specify, "For Active Criminal Record (formerly for Non-Certified Criminal Information)" is the default that they will pick, at least in Regina!

 

 

 

I'll try to remember to update when I receive my new check in the mail.  

 

I have heard that Commissionaires has more experience and knowledge with certified checks for immigration, so if I could do it all over I would have went with them in the first place.  Either way, make sure you know exactly what you need before you go!

Incorrect Criminal Record Check.pdf.pdf

[Darthvador25 4]

Thanks for sharing your experience. 
 

does anyone know whether a fingerprint certified record is needed by NVC for those of us not applying at a Canadian consulate?

 

I’ve read on other immigration forums and blogs that you only need the name based check for US immigration. 
 

I know that the state department‘s website also mentions certified (I.e., fingerprint) check but an actual datapoint would be great. 
 

thanks!

[T&S_MTL 113]

On 1/12/2021 at 1:52 PM, Darthvador25 said:

Thanks for sharing your experience. 
 

does anyone know whether a fingerprint certified record is needed by NVC for those of us not applying at a Canadian consulate?

 

I’ve read on other immigration forums and blogs that you only need the name based check for US immigration. 
 

I know that the state department‘s website also mentions certified (I.e., fingerprint) check but an actual datapoint would be great. 
 

thanks!

What is required is not based on where you have your interview. You need this certificate if you lived in Canada for more than 6 months. And each country has its own requirements. For example, I got the one for Canada, and for France as well since since lived there too.

[hkn1 32]

I did my police check at the end of December 2020 at Commissionaires in Mississauga, Ontario. I asked for the Privacy act, RCMP entire national holdings, which it says OTHER- RCMP entire national holdings on the receipt as well. It is the updated name, "Criminal Record Check for Personal use -- other (provide details)", however, it was also deemed incorrect and rejected on the CEAC site where you upload the documents. Has anyone else been rejected by this one? Please see attached pic.  

[darth vader 133]

On 1/18/2021 at 9:42 AM, hkn1 said:

I did my police check at the end of December 2020 at Commissionaires in Mississauga, Ontario. I asked for the Privacy act, RCMP entire national holdings, which it says OTHER- RCMP entire national holdings on the receipt as well. It is the updated name, "Criminal Record Check for Personal use -- other (provide details)", however, it was also deemed incorrect and rejected on the CEAC site where you upload the documents. Has anyone else been rejected by this one? Please see attached pic.  

@EJOyamot Sorry to bug you again, but this poster says his police check was rejected by NVC, isn't this the correct one?

[EJOyamot 39]

1 minute ago, darth vader said:

@EJOyamot Sorry to bug you again, but this poster says his police check was rejected by NVC, isn't this the correct one?

So kind of hard to explain..but my situation was a bit different. 
Originally, I submitted a police check to NVC that followed the old guidelines under the privacy act (so not the new one that you’re getting from F1). But I did my first one with my OPP detachment and they botched it (it didn’t say other: provide details but said something different). I submitted this to NVC and it was accepted. But near October I realized it could be rejected at my interview so I opted to replace it with the updated version. 
I did upload the new version to NVC and they didn’t say anything. At the interview when they asked for my police check I brought the old and new one and explained that I updated the police check and submitted online. They only wanted the new one and they were fine with it. 
 

so...I think that it’s an issue with ceac not being informed on current rcmp standards. My suggestion would be for the poster to call NVC and clarify. 

[hkn1 32]

10 minutes ago, EJOyamot said:

So kind of hard to explain..but my situation was a bit different. 
Originally, I submitted a police check to NVC that followed the old guidelines under the privacy act (so not the new one that you’re getting from F1). But I did my first one with my OPP detachment and they botched it (it didn’t say other: provide details but said something different). I submitted this to NVC and it was accepted. But near October I realized it could be rejected at my interview so I opted to replace it with the updated version. 
I did upload the new version to NVC and they didn’t say anything. At the interview when they asked for my police check I brought the old and new one and explained that I updated the police check and submitted online. They only wanted the new one and they were fine with it. 
 

so...I think that it’s an issue with ceac not being informed on current rcmp standards. My suggestion would be for the poster to call NVC and clarify. 

So did you have the exact version as the one I uploaded? I called the NVC to file a dispute; they said it would take them up to six weeks to review the police check. You’re saying my version is the correct one for CEAC site and the interview stage? Thanks in advance!

[EJOyamot 39]

Going to share my experience to maybe save some others a headache. 
 

This was done in Feb 2020 (prior to the new wording being used by RCMP). I opted to go through my local OPP detachment to obtain my RCMP background check. I too felt more comfortable with this as I had done multiple background checks through them for employment purposes. Similar to the person a few posts above, it is crucial that you know what you’re asking for when you go to the police station. The station I went to is in rural Ontario and I’m sure I was their first and only request like this. They had no clue really. 
 

I brought with me screenshots of what was on the travel.gov site for requirements and explained that it needed to be under the privacy act, etc. everything seemed to go well and I left...3 weeks go by and nothing had arrived, prompting me to call RCMP to find out what happened. Turns out the OPP who filled out the form put their station address as my mailing address, resulting in my form not being sent to me. Couldn’t even go to the station to get it as it simply was not mailed. Sooo back to the station to redo the form with the correct address. 
somewhere in this second try there was another mixup with the reason section. A different officer this time put non certified criminal record check as the reason beside privacy act. 🤦🏼‍♀️ This time the form arrived and at that time I had not discovered Visa journey and didn’t really have anyone to ask for advice..
 

I decided to shoot my shot and submitted the form on NVC. it was accepted 🤷🏼‍♀️ I still don’t really understand how but it was. I really just couldn’t afford to around with the OPP anymore as I kept having to take time off work to go to their station. 
 

once I got my interview letter in December I decided I needed to redo the form to not take any risks of being delayed or rejected at the interview. This time I went to Frontier 1 in Kitchener and had a MUCH better experience. 
I brought the form I had previously done and a screenshot of what the form is supposed to look like (the new “for personal use” one) and the screenshot outlining the RCMP changes. The gentleman at F1 knew exactly what I was asking for and had zero issues submitting it. The correct form arrived 1.5 weeks later and I uploaded it to NVC and brought the old and new form to my interview. They only asked me for the new one and praised me for having it uploaded to NVC already. 
 

in summary, save yourself the time (and money) and go to Commissionaires or Frontier 1. Bring pictures of what you need and you should be fine. 
 

Ive had to call NVC to clarify a mistake (one of our payments came out of an acct that didn’t belong to us) and they were very helpful and friendly. Don’t be afraid to call them. Try to call early in the morning to avoid being on hold for an hour. 
 

Just my experience, may be helpful to some and not others! 

[EJOyamot 39]

15 minutes ago, hkn1 said:

So did you have the exact version as the one I uploaded? I called the NVC to file a dispute; they said it would take them up to six weeks to review the police check. You’re saying my version is the correct one for CEAC site and the interview stage? Thanks in advance!

Mine looks the exact same as yours, however the one I originally submitted to NVC prior to becoming DQ was different. So this version like yours that I submitted to NVC after becoming DQ wasn’t really looked at by NVC, I just uploaded it as an additional supporting document and it was more necessary for me to have it there for the interview. 
 

I think in your case even though you have the right one, the CEAC just isn’t recognizing the new RCMP standards. Continue with your inquiry with them (frustrating as it may be because it creates yet another delay). Perhaps include the screenshot from the timeline Google sheet that outlines the changes the RCMP made. 
 

hope that helped and/or made sense 😅

[hkn1 32]

6 minutes ago, EJOyamot said:

Mine looks the exact same as yours, however the one I originally submitted to NVC prior to becoming DQ was different. So this version like yours that I submitted to NVC after becoming DQ wasn’t really looked at by NVC, I just uploaded it as an additional supporting document and it was more necessary for me to have it there for the interview. 
 

I think in your case even though you have the right one, the CEAC just isn’t recognizing the new RCMP standards. Continue with your inquiry with them (frustrating as it may be because it creates yet another delay). Perhaps include the screenshot from the timeline Google sheet that outlines the changes the RCMP made. 
 

hope that helped and/or made sense 😅

Yes, this was helpful and good to know that you brought the “new” one I have to the interview with no problems. Frustrating because I am not DQ yet due to this, when it appears I have gotten the correct one. Will update this thread if/when my rejection is clarified! 

[EJOyamot 39]

2 minutes ago, hkn1 said:

Yes, this was helpful and good to know that you brought the “new” one I have to the interview with no problems. Frustrating because I am not DQ yet due to this, when it appears I have gotten the correct one. Will update this thread if/when my rejection is clarified! 

It is beyond frustrating when there are delays out of your control. 
this entire process really opened my eyes to the fact that nothing really ever goes according to plan or is as simple as it should be. Even now that my interview is done I am looking at possible complications with waiting for my SSN. 
 

good luck! Hopefully NVC resolves the issue quickly. 

[darth vader 133]

17 minutes ago, EJOyamot said:

Mine looks the exact same as yours, however the one I originally submitted to NVC prior to becoming DQ was different. So this version like yours that I submitted to NVC after becoming DQ wasn’t really looked at by NVC, I just uploaded it as an additional supporting document and it was more necessary for me to have it there for the interview. 
 

I think in your case even though you have the right one, the CEAC just isn’t recognizing the new RCMP standards. Continue with your inquiry with them (frustrating as it may be because it creates yet another delay). Perhaps include the screenshot from the timeline Google sheet that outlines the changes the RCMP made. 
 

hope that helped and/or made sense 😅

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I am sure it'll help countless others as they discover this thread. So, when I go to Frontier 1 shuold I just take a print out of the police certificate below to show them what my police certificate needs to look like?

 

[EJOyamot 39]

Just now, darth vader said:

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I am sure it'll help countless others as they discover this thread. So, when I go to Frontier 1 shuold I just take a print out of the police certificate below to show them what my police certificate needs to look like?

 

Yes I would bring a printed version or just screenshot it on your phone and show him that way. 
I also brought a screenshot of the requirements on the travel.gov site. 
It’s hard to know how to word things so they understand what you need without leaving anything out...basically I explained what I am using it for (a US spousal visa) but it needed to be under the privacy act and I showed him the pictures of what I needed (and the one I already had that was wrong). He knew exactly what I needed and had no issues. I was there for maybe 15 minutes. 

[KStene22 79]

On 1/23/2021 at 10:30 PM, darth vader said:

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I am sure it'll help countless others as they discover this thread. So, when I go to Frontier 1 shuold I just take a print out of the police certificate below to show them what my police certificate needs to look like?

 

You can also explain that there are three subtypes under the privacy act, and you need the subtype "Other (provide details)"

See pic below.  

[darth vader 133]

1 hour ago, KStene22 said:

You can also explain that there are three subtypes under the privacy act, and you need the subtype "Other (provide details)"

See pic below.  

Thank you, I ended up getting four different kinds of police checks, and plan to submit all of them when I get to NVC - with the correct one on top!