Do I need a police certificate for the Working Holiday application?
Yes, for the Working Holiday Canada application you need a police certificate from your home country and from all countries where you have been for more than 6 months in a row since the age of 18. The amount of days of the stay counts and it does not matter if you were there as a tourist, worker or student.
Where can I apply for the police certificate?
Always follow the official requirements that are on the official homepage of the government. To do this, click >>here<< and select the country in the drop-down list and follow the instructions.
Please read the special instructions for police certificates from those countries:
How long is the police certificate valid?
- The police certificate from the home country cannot be older than 6 months at the time of the Working Holiday application.
- Police certificates from other countries cannot be older than 6 months if you have applied for them while you were still in the country.
- If you applied for the police certificate after you left the country and have not been back anymore (not even 1-2 days to visit), it is valid indefinitely and can be used for further future applications.
I still have a police certificate from my home country I used for the Working Holiday application, can I use this for my Young Professional application?
Probably not. Because chances are, at the time of your Working Holiday application, you were still in your home country or visited your family and friends during your working holiday.
The rule is:
If the police certificate was issued after you left your home country and have not been back there (not even 1-2 days to visit), you can use it. Otherwise, it can be a maximum of 6 months old and you need a new one.
Does the police certificate need to be translated?
Yes, the police certificate must be translated by a certified translator if it is not in English or French.
You have to upload the original + translation.
You only have one upload spot for the police certificate. If you have multiple police certificates, i.e. from different countries, you have to merge them all into one file.
You can do that with PDFMerge.
What if I do not receive the requested police certificate in time before the deadline?
Do not wait until the last day to submit the application just because a document is missing. If you have applied for the police certificate but have not received it yet, you must upload a receipt instead of the certificate that proves that you have requested it. (An e-mail or proof of payment from the place where it was requested).
If you used the upload spot for one police certificate but you are missing one from another country, the in the “optional documents” spot, please upload a letter (informal two sentences) explaining that you have requested the police certificate and need more time.
Then upload all other documents and submit the application. IRCC will then open up a new spot where you have another 30 days to submit the police certificate.
I have received the police certificate, where do I upload it?
There are two options:
Option 1 – GCKey account
IRCC will open up an upload spot for the police certificate. An expiration date and document number are required. If the police certificate does not have an expiration date, select a day that is at least 1 year after the date of issue. If the police certificate does not contain a document number, enter N/A in the field.
After uploading, you must also submit the document.
To do this, you have to continue with NEXT and click through all the steps until the status of the document is set to "replacement provided". Only then the document is completely submitted.
Option 2 – Webform
Use this webform link >> here << to submit the police certificate. Choose International Experience from the drop down.
Be aware that IRCC might still request the police certificate via option 1, GCKey account.
If they do request it again, upload it there and submit it again.
Can I apply for the police certificate before applying to the pool?
You can apply for all the foreign police certificates you need, as they take much longer.
You should wait with the police certificate from your home country. Because it cannot be older than 6 months, and you don’t know when you get invited, you risk having to request it again.
What if I simply omit a police certificate?
- Firstly, in the application you have to provide complete, month to month information without any gaps. For example, if you leave a gap of 6 months somewhere, you will be asked for a police certificate. This will delay the application unnecessarily.
- Secondly, you will have to scan all pages of the passport that contain a visa or stamp on it. It is therefore not recommended to omit data or documents in the application. You risk a refusal.
Do I need a police certificate from Canada?
Even if you spent more than 6 months in a row in Canada, you do not need a police certificate. IRCC does the checks themselves.
They might request a police certificate, then you need to provide it.
When activating the Work Permit at the border, do I need a current police certificate?
No, when activating, you can take the old police certificate that you uploaded into the application. Even if it is already over 6 months old at the time of entry.