Canada Criminal Record Check (RCMP Fingerprints)

YOU SELECTED THIS OPTION BECAUSE:You need to conduct an RCMP-compliant background check within 10 days.

Applicants who require a Canadian Criminal Record Check are strongly encouraged to get their Criminal Record Check certificate from inside Canada electronically via “live-scan” at an approved state agency with direct access to the RCMP databank.

The result is that processing times from within Canada will take 3 to 10 days (if no record is found) to typically 30 days (if a “matching” record is found).

Conversely, the electronic “live scanner” is not available outside Canada. Applicants outside of Canada are thus forced to use a paper fingerprint application for their Canadian criminal check. Results from the paper check will take 120 days according to the RCMP site (the FBI equivalent in Canada with jurisdiction on criminal record checks).

Given the huge variance in timing, applicants who wish to present an application for permanent residency, criminal rehabilitation, or a temporary resident permit (TRP) are extremely inconvenienced if they have no ability to be in Canada. This is a dilemma that is particularly problematic with applicants who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada.

Luckily for our customers in the United States or otherwise outside Canada, we have a preferred relationship with an RCMP-approved agency via our Montreal office that can provide your Canadian criminal record check within 10 days.

Who Needs to Provide a Canada Criminal Record Check?

• Canadian Employer-Based Applicants. Applicants who wish to work for a Canadian employer may be requested to perform an RCMP background check regardless if they ever lived in Canada.
• Permanent Resident Applicants in Canada. Applicants who have resided in Canada for more than 6 months since the age of 18, or who have an arrest record in Canada regardless of time spent in Canada, AND who wishes to apply for a permanent resident visa (such as a Spousal Undertaking, Express Entry, Federal Skilled Worker Program)
• Criminal Rehabilitation Applicants. Applicants who have resided in Canada for more than 6 months since the age of 18, or who have an arrest record in Canada regardless of time spent in Canada, AND who wishes to apply for Criminal Rehabilitation at a Canadian Consulate or Embassy of Canada.
• Temporary Resident Permit Applicants who File at the Consulate or Embassy Only (not the point-of-entry/airport). Applicants who have resided in Canada for more than 6 months since the age of 18, or who have an arrest record in Canada regardless of time spent in Canada, AND who wishes to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) at a Canadian Consulate or Embassy of Canada.
• USCIS / United States. If requested by the US government in your application for a waiver or visa (nonimmigrant or immigrant).
• Vulnerable Sector Check or Upon Request by an Approved Government Agency. Applicants who wish to work in law enforcement, or other “vulnerable sector”, may be requested to obtain a Canada Criminal Record Check in order to work or obtain a valid license in a given area.

If you need a Canadian criminal record check, but cannot afford to wait 6 months from doing it from outside Canada, or do not wish to travel to Canada for the sole purpose of obtaining a live-scan fingerprint, ask about our US-based criminal background service for Canada.

Our service includes assistance in obtaining a compliant US-based fingerprint card (hardcopy) for electronic conversion in Canada with an RCMP-approved vendor as well as shipping and handling directly to you or the agency requesting the police certificate. Instead of 6 months, you will receive your RCMP report within 10 days (if no “match/record” is found) to about 30 days (if a “match/record” is found) excluding courier shipping delays.

Firm deliverables with respect to a Canadian Criminal Record Check:

• Assistance in the preparation of an RCMP-compliant hardcopy set of fingerprints at an approved law enforcement agency outside Canada
• Preparation of government forms
• Electronic conversion of fingerprints at an approved RCMP-designate agency via our Montreal-based Office
• Shipping and handling included to/from Canada
• Direction submission to Citizenship Immigration Canada (CIC) or Consulate or Embassy if applying for a visa, waiver (TRP), rehabilitation, spousal undertaking or application for permanent residency on your behalf