For many work permit or other temporary Canadian immigration applications (and for all permanent residence applications), a police clearance certificates (PCC) is required. For temporary purposes, this typically occurs when an applicant for entry to Canada is potentially inadmissible due to a prior criminal history, and a form of ‘waiver’ is sought to enter the country. There are temporary waivers, called Temporary Resident Permits (TRPs), and permanent waivers, referred to as ‘Rehabilitation’.
Until now, for the purposes of U.S. PCCs, the only option was to secure an FBI police certificate through the mail, or in some cases (for U.S. citizens and permanent residents), through an FBI approved channeler. [Note that in addition to FBI clearances, in some situations, U.S. state clearances may also be needed.)
Effective immediately, in addition to the already existing options, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), will accept an electronically submitted ‘Identity History Summary’ (IHS) from the FBI for the purposes set out above, regardless of current place of residence or citizenship. Further information about the change in allowable formats can be found at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/bulletins-2018/653.html, and information about the IHS system can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.