This process was a major headache for me, especially because I didn’t even know I needed one until I’d already submitted my application for a partnership visa in New Zealand. SO, after jumping through all the hoops, I can say it is possible and am here to show you how to get a police check from Canada. It all worked out and I haven’t been deported yet, so I’d say I’m a pretty trustworthy source.
Disclaimer: I believe the process will be almost the same no matter where you are in the world, but I can only comment on how I got the prints done in New Zealand.
All prices are in NZD.
Getting a police check from Canada
Here are the tedious steps to follow when sourcing a police check from Canada for a New Zealand visa.
Contact the RCMP
All I wanted was a list of places to get my fingerprints taken. I emailed immigration and was told I had to call the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) directly during regular business hours. This is obviously awkward from all the way over here because of the time difference. I stayed up late to call, and what did they do? Give me another gah damn email address. So here you go:
CCRTIS-SCICTR@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
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Choose a fingerprinting service to process your police check from Canada
The RCMP will reply with an extensive PDF list of places that can process these applications in Canada. I chose one in Toronto at random. They may have varying costs, and you could spend hours checking them all to find out which is cheapest, but I assume they’re all pretty similar. I used Canadian Finger Printing Services Inc. and they were fine!
Get Your fingerprints done
The company sent me a few documents to print and bring to the fingerprinting place in Auckland. Finding a place to do this essential task was harder than expected. It used to be police, then they made it the post office’s problem, and when I was to do it Kiwibank was somehow responsible for it but only at like 3 locations… a hassle.
BUT I have good news. It now seems there’s one dedicated fingerprinting service, and you can find all the details are here. The service costs $50. You usually have to arrive prepared with printed copies of all the docs the fingerprinting place sent you, including the one where you’ll place your actual prints.
It took 2 weeks to get to Canada, so I couldn’t trust the mail system to get it back to me on time. I sent the completed report to my parents who live in Ontario, and they were able to scan it and email it to me. Easy!
Find out if your New Zealand partner needs the same document
After I submitted my application, the immigration team followed up asking for my partner’s Canadian criminal record check, too. So we had to do the whole thing over again! This was only the case because he’d lived in Canada for several months when we were locked down during COVID. If your partner has never been to Canada, they (perhaps obviously) won’t need to do the criminal record check.
Summary
Fees:
$50 fingerprints
$50 shipping (varies)
$145 application fee
Initial contact:
CCRTIS-SCICTR@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
It took more than a month to get my full report. I went got the prints on June 2nd, and submit the support doc for my partnership application on July 16th. So I’d start ASAP so you can pass your police check from Canada!
When do you need to get a police check from Canada?
Getting a police check from Canada is a common requirement when you want to extend or apply for certain visas. For example, I didn’t need to do a police check when I applied for either of my Working Holiday Visas. (I originally wanted one year, then had to go through another process to extend it.)
I only had to get a police check from Canada when I was applying for my… fourth? visa. I’d entered the country on a special COVID exception because my partner is a Kiwi. I then had to do the whole police check thing to advance to a partnership-based work visa. If you’re applying for a partnership-based work visa from the get go, you will also need to get a police check from Canada.
So if you’re going as a tourist, or only want to live and work in the most beautiful country in the world for 1 or 2 years, you won’t need to go through this tedious process.
Read more: Once in a Lifetime Activities in New Zealand
Mail the prints to Canada
I paid for the fastest courier option because I was in a hurry and wanted the tracking number. This cost me another $50. It was supposed to take a few days and it took two weeks, so I still recommend this expensive shipping option. Annoying, but this is the postal service nightmare we live in.
Pay the company to process your prints
My place charged $145 and sent my prints off to the RCMP and processed the rest of my application. When they approved everything, they offered to send it back to me in New Zealand or a location in Canada. They wouldn’t just scan it. (Which is kinda silly because New Zealand only wants a scan, not the hard copy.)
It took 2 weeks to get to Canada, so I couldn’t trust the mail system to get it back to me on time. I sent the completed report to my parents who live in Ontario, and they were able to scan it and email it to me. Easy!
Find out if your New Zealand partner needs the same document
After I submitted my application, the immigration team followed up asking for my partner’s Canadian criminal record check, too. So we had to do the whole thing over again! This was only the case because he’d lived in Canada for several months when we were locked down during COVID. If your partner has never been to Canada, they (perhaps obviously) won’t need to do the criminal record check.
I found this post to be enlightening. Thank you for sharing
I’m happy it was helpful 🙂
Like you I’m currently jumping through all these hoops for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa.
However I’m stuck on the Canadian police form that asks why I need the fingerprint criminal checks, as different reasons yield different information. See here: https://rcmp.ca/en/criminal-records/criminal-record-checks/types-certified-criminal-record-checks
Which reason did you opt for/ what information is on your police certificate?
Hey!
I just looked up my approved certificate from the RCMP and it has “Visa Border Crossing Foreign Travel-Work” on the document. I would definitely select that one in your case of a partnership visa. Mine came back with a photo of my prints and a small paragraph stating that they aren’t associated with a criminal record in Canada on an RCMP letterhead.
If your partner has ever been to Canada they may also need to go through this process, so maybe ask your immigration officer. Good luck with your application 🙂
Thanks so much for such a prompt reply Naomi, and the very helpful advice. It’s all really appreciated. We don’t have a immigration officer as the application etc is expensive enough without one but my partner is currently jumping though the hoops with me… This Canadian side of things is nothing short of time consuming, expensive and archaic but we will get there and thanks in part to you. Cheers again.
Ah I just meant the immigration officer that gets assigned to you once you submit the application — I know the immigration lawyers are *wildly* expensive haha. I agree the system is definitely archaic, but it’s worth it 🙂 All the best!
Hi there! I am someone applying to extend their working holiday visa and my immigration officer asked for a police record check. They dont seem to specify if i needed a name based one or a fingerprint one. Do you suggest i just get the fingerprint check just incase? Or were they happy with just a regular police cert for the working holiday visa extension? Thanks!
Hey!
I also extended my working holiday visa for a second year but didn’t need to provide a fingerprint police check. TBH I don’t remember providing a police check at all for that extension…
I’d reply to the email from immigration and ask them to specify, I found they were always pretty responsive. Or call (and hope you don’t have to wait on hold for too long, haha). If you don’t have to the fingerprint version it’ll save you a ton of time. Good luck!!