My fiance and I are beginning an outbound process for her to sponsor me for permanent residency in Canada. I live in Oregon, she lives in Ontario.
There are a few things I have questions about since I am relatively new to this process. While I have already begun to gather and organize the necessary evidence, forms, and all other relevant information I may need, I had trouble finding information on a few things:
1. My understanding at first was that when you get your background check you will also have your fingerprints taken. However my fiance tells me that this is not the case, and that I must send out to be mailed forms for my fingerprint documentation. Does anyone know what I must send out, and where in particular I must send out to in order to receive these forms?
2. While I found some information about the background check, I'd like to be sure I am correct in my understanding. A police department with my record will be able to give me a copy of my background? Is this the first place I should go?
3. As far as the medical examination, my understanding is that you can schedule this like you could any other medical examination. You call your doctor for an appointment and go in. Is this the case? If it is, is there anything in particular I should tell my doctor about what I'm looking for? If it is not, I'm curious about the exact details of how this is done.
Thanks in advance!
Aaron
Hi
(06-15-2010 05:46 PM)Aaron Wrote: [ -> ]My fiance and I are beginning an outbound process for her to sponsor me for permanent residency in Canada. I live in Oregon, she lives in Ontario.
There are a few things I have questions about since I am relatively new to this process. While I have already begun to gather and organize the necessary evidence, forms, and all other relevant information I may need, I had trouble finding information on a few things:
1. My understanding at first was that when you get your background check you will also have your fingerprints taken. However my fiance tells me that this is not the case, and that I must send out to be mailed forms for my fingerprint documentation. Does anyone know what I must send out, and where in particular I must send out to in order to receive these forms?
2. While I found some information about the background check, I'd like to be sure I am correct in my understanding. A police department with my record will be able to give me a copy of my background? Is this the first place I should go?
3. As far as the medical examination, my understanding is that you can schedule this like you could any other medical examination. You call your doctor for an appointment and go in. Is this the case? If it is, is there anything in particular I should tell my doctor about what I'm looking for? If it is not, I'm curious about the exact details of how this is done.
Thanks in advance!
Aaron
1. You require police criminal records checks from each country you have lived in for 6 months or more since the age of 18. See:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information.../index.asp
They can't be older than 3 months when you submit the application and the sponsorship.
2. You don't do the background check, CIC does. You submit your criminal records checks.
3. No, the medical has to be done by a Designated Medical Practitioner, the list is here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medical.aspx
4. You should start your reading here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information...ons/fc.asp
There's also more detailed information for US applicants at
US2Canada. Follow the tab for Paperwork.
Hi
Yes, you must get finger prints done, the best place to go to is your local police department.
Make sure they do ALL 10 fingers. They will give you a fingerprint card with your prints, date of birth, etc. on it. You will submit it with a cover letter and payment (credit card or bank draft) and also include the date you need it on the front of the envelope and on the cover letter. You can download a template of the cover letter and a copy of the finger print card. I recommend bringing your letter and the fingerprint card (just print on normal paper) to the police department for reference so you can show them which finger print card you need. They will give it to you on a proper fingerprint card on heavy 'card' paper.
Here is a link to the FBI website where it tells you all the info you need to get this done.
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm
Also please keep in mind that it can take up to 13 weeks to receive the results back from the FBI, and that the record is only good for 6 months after you receive it. We received his results 9 weeks after we sent the request. I also recommend mailing it priority with a tracking number.
I'm not sure about Question 2, do you have a police record?
For the medical examination, you must go to a DMP (Designated Medical Practitioner). If you plan to visit Canada anytime soon I highly recommend getting it done here in Canada. It's much cheaper. You can search for DMP's here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medical.aspx
You will need to bring photos similar to passport sized photos (there is instructions on this in the Immigrant's Guide) and there is a form you must bring, I don't have the link for that on me right now but it should be in your guide. The doctor will do a physical exam, take your blood and a urine sample, then you will get a chest x-ray usually not at the doctors office but sometimes in the same building. Your medical exam & xray results will be sent to Ottawa by your DMP. Ottawa will later send it to Buffalo, NY.
PMM beat me to it :)
(06-15-2010 06:15 PM)morphia Wrote: [ -> ]I'm not sure about Question 2, do you have a police record?
For the medical examination, you must go to a DMP (Designated Medical Practitioner). If you plan to visit Canada anytime soon I highly recommend getting it done here in Canada. It's much cheaper. You can search for DMP's here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medical.aspx
You will need to bring photos similar to passport sized photos (there is instructions on this in the Immigrant's Guide) and there is a form you must bring, I don't have the link for that on me right now but it should be in your guide. The doctor will do a physical exam, take your blood and a urine sample, then you will get a chest x-ray usually not at the doctors office but sometimes in the same building. Your medical exam & xray results will be sent to Ottawa by your DMP. Ottawa will later send it to Buffalo, NY.
PMM beat me to it :)
Thanks for your help; it's greatly appreciated. :)
As far as my police record, I have a 100% clean record. I've never been arrested or convicted of anything in my life. However, I figured that regardless of that they would still want to see that I have no criminal record and that having with me a copy of my clean police record would be necessary. If this isn't the case, I can worry only about the fingerprints and medical examination. If I still do need a copy of it, though, I'm curious as to where I would find it; which as I stated I thought was at the police department at the same time I did my fingerprints.
Thanks again for the help.
(06-15-2010 06:03 PM)PMM Wrote: [ -> ]Hi
(06-15-2010 05:46 PM)Aaron Wrote: [ -> ]My fiance and I are beginning an outbound process for her to sponsor me for permanent residency in Canada. I live in Oregon, she lives in Ontario.
There are a few things I have questions about since I am relatively new to this process. While I have already begun to gather and organize the necessary evidence, forms, and all other relevant information I may need, I had trouble finding information on a few things:
1. My understanding at first was that when you get your background check you will also have your fingerprints taken. However my fiance tells me that this is not the case, and that I must send out to be mailed forms for my fingerprint documentation. Does anyone know what I must send out, and where in particular I must send out to in order to receive these forms?
2. While I found some information about the background check, I'd like to be sure I am correct in my understanding. A police department with my record will be able to give me a copy of my background? Is this the first place I should go?
3. As far as the medical examination, my understanding is that you can schedule this like you could any other medical examination. You call your doctor for an appointment and go in. Is this the case? If it is, is there anything in particular I should tell my doctor about what I'm looking for? If it is not, I'm curious about the exact details of how this is done.
Thanks in advance!
Aaron
1. You require police criminal records checks from each country you have lived in for 6 months or more since the age of 18. See: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information.../index.asp
They can't be older than 3 months when you submit the application and the sponsorship.
2. You don't do the background check, CIC does. You submit your criminal records checks.
3. No, the medical has to be done by a Designated Medical Practitioner, the list is here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medical.aspx
4. You should start your reading here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information...ons/fc.asp
So the way I understand it, we're distinguishing between a background check and a criminal records check. In that case, it's my criminal records check that I'm asking about. This would be obtained through the local police department?
Thanks for the link as well, I'll definitely print that one out.
When you send away your fingerprint card and cover letter to the FBI you will, in 13 weeks (maybe less) , get an official record from the FBI. Everyone has to send this in with their immigration application, regardless if you have a criminal record or not.
You need to submit a "no arrest record" from the FBI and from every State that you've resided in for more than 6 months since turning 18 years of age. If you've lived in any country other than the United States for more than six months since turning 18, you'll need a clearance from them, too. The original criminal clearance(s) need to be submitted with your application. If you have a criminal conviction - even a DUI - you're inadmissible to Canada unless enough time has passed that you're eligible to be deemed rehabilitated.
The criminal clearances are different from the background checks CIC does while your application is in process. Background checks are done to determine whether you have any affiliations through work, school, family, military career, etc., to entities that might constitute a threat to Canadian security. Every background check will be different, which is what makes it difficult to determine how extensive they are, how long they take, and exactly what happens with one - and applicants usually don't find out anything about the information disclosed in the background check.
On our immigrants guide it said only to get the FBI clearance and not a State one, that it could be requested later... I think... ahhh..now I need to double check that.. EEEEP!!
(06-15-2010 08:56 PM)morphia Wrote: [ -> ]On our immigrants guide it said only to get the FBI clearance and not a State one, that it could be requested later... I think... ahhh..now I need to double check that.. EEEEP!!
They go back and forth on this. General consensus is that if you request and submit your State clearances with your application - even if they're not specifically required - it eliminates the delays associated with them asking for them later.
At the time we filed, it said State Clearances may be requested. It goes back and forth.
Even though it said "may" then, we sent a State Clearance with our app, just in case they changed it back.
We did this to prevent delays in case they changed the rules. We are not rich, but we dreaded delays more.
Also, any mail traveling within the U.S. we sent it Express Mail. We wanted proof that we sent it, a signature that it was delivered and we sent a Self -Addressed Prepaid Return Express Mail envelope for both FBI Clearance and State Clearances (and Passports when the time came).
I only once, sent an unrelated important document Priority Mail and it was lost and to this day it still kind of bugs me. For the darn $25 it would have cost, it now has costed me thousands. Please, do yourself a favor, pay the money, get a tracking number and get a signature. It will be cheaper and faster in the end.