Police Certificates in Alberta?

[AdmiralTacos 3]

Hi all,

 

My wife is a Canadian citizen living in Edmonton and I'm a US citizen. We're doing the IR1/CR1 visa and now on the step of submitting the civil documents to the CEAC website and we're a bit confused about the whole Police Certificate and how to obtain it.

 

We initially called the RCMP to ask them about getting one for the visa but they said that since she's from Alberta that she had to go through the local police to obtain it and to call them. The only thing we could get through to is their automated system which told us to submit the application online. However, the only thing we can request for is a Police Information Check which, from what we can see, it isn't accepted by the NVC. I've been searching through VJ for anything close to what we were told but couldn't find anything. I saw this website linked multiple times showing what the actual document looks like. Also found this through the RCMP about fingerprinting and accredited places to get the forms.

 

I saw this in another post: 

Quote

Document Name: Certified Criminal Record Check – Type of Criminal Record Check for Personal Use (*formerly known as Privacy Act)

Sub-type: Other (Provide Details)

Details of Information sought: RCMP National Repository Entire Holdings

The following documents WILL NOT be accepted:

• Type of Criminal Record Check for Personal Use: Visa-Border Crossing, Foreign Travel, Work document.
• Type of Criminal Record Check for Personal Use: Active Criminal Record document
  • Provincial or City issued police certificate

Issuing Authority: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Special Seal(s) / Color / Format: The requested document is fingerprint-based, but the report does not include an image of the applicant or the applicant’s fingerprints. Examples of Canadian Police Certificates can be found at U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada (usembassy.gov).

 

Where do we actually have to go to get our correct Police Certificate? Did they feed us the wrong info when we called them? 

[appleblossom 5,774]

Just now, AdmiralTacos said:

Where do we actually have to go to get our correct Police Certificate? Did they feed us the wrong info when we called them? 

 

It's on the country specific guidelines on the official website - make sure you follow this really carefully. 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Canada.html

 

 

[AdmiralTacos 3]

7 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

It's on the country specific guidelines on the official website - make sure you follow this really carefully. 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Canada.html

 

 

 

That's the part we're confused about. It says to go through the RCMP but they said to call the local police since she's in a specific province. Their system said to submit that application online but it looks like its a province request rather than the needed national repository one. 

[appleblossom 5,774]

23 minutes ago, AdmiralTacos said:

 

That's the part we're confused about. It says to go through the RCMP but they said to call the local police since she's in a specific province. Their system said to submit that application online but it looks like its a province request rather than the needed national repository one. 

 

You can't submit it online, as you it says on the link I gave you it must be in person as you need fingerprints taken. I'd ignore whatever you're being told on the phone, that person isn't likely to have a clue about NVC's requirements.

 

Follow the instructions carefully, you'll get taken to this webpage - https://rcmp.ca/en/criminal-records/criminal-record-checks

 

Then where to go - https://rcmp.ca/en/criminal-records/criminal-record-checks/where-go

 

And then make sure you follow the link to see what you should be getting - https://ca.edit.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/Police-Certificate-Exemplar.pdf

 

Good luck. 

 

 

[Ontarkie 15,112]

She can go to her local police station and ask for it. Make sure she asks for the personal use one. It still goes through the RCMP for the check. 

[AdmiralTacos 3]

@appleblossom @Ontarkie

 

Thank you for the replies! It really cleared it up for us. She ended up going to an RCMP office near her and got it (mostly) squared away. 

 

I appreciate the help! 

[mam521 2,914]

Verify that she got the correct PRC - it has to be type "other" and will include the entire records holdings.  It will NOT have fingerprints on the document received in the mail.  Really, you look at it and think "what the deuce?  All this trouble for this nearly blank sheet of paper?".  This gets screwed up often.  

 

In case she gets the incorrect one, Edmonton City Police apparently do them, but she can go to a place like Edmonton Fingerprinting Services or the Commissionaires to get them done.  There's a list of approved third parties here: https://rcmp.ca/en/criminal-records/criminal-record-checks/private-fingerprinting-companies-accredited-rcmp#wb-auto-2

 

Good luck!