Canada drops police clearance requirement for temporary residents

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said, “I have never said such certificates are required for temporary residents.’

The Canadian government has acknowledged that police clearance certificates are not necessary for those entering the country as temporary residents, including on study permits.

Responding to repeated questions from Indo-Canadian MP Arpan Khanna during a sitting of the House of Commons Standing Committee Citizenship and Immigration on Monday (May 27), Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said, “I have never said such certificates are required for temporary residents.’

Miller also said the government does “verification”, which he explained were biometrics, basically fingerprints which were run through partner and police databases. As for the police certificates from the country of origin, Miller said, “We do not, as a routine matter, require them for temporary residents.”

“They may be required if an officer decides to do so as part of a cascading security screening,” he added later.

Miller also dismissed the efficacy of such checks, as he said, “You could imagine how unreliable those certificates would be.”