Canadian Police Check for Australian Parnter Visa

I'm Canadian, in the Sydney area. I'm here on an Australia working holiday visa. I'm applying for the partner visa soon, and working on my Canadian police check. I contacted the RCMP Civil Fingerping Screening Services, via e-mail, asking if I needed to provide fingerprints for a police check. The answer was yes.

I went to the local police station and they were asking me for paper work. And I was like "I just need you to put my prints on a form and sign it, charge me, and then put them in this registered mail envelope, that I have pre-addressed to Ottawa so I can get a Canadian records check." They were like "we can't do that unless you have paper work, here, call the AFP." So, I call the AFP, and they're like "this is a state thing if you need fingerprints taken" so I get transferred down to NSW State Police. I explained what was going on and was told that if I provided evidence of WHY I needed the fingerprints, there should be no problem getting them. So that's easy, I can supply them with my Visa application, uncompleted, the RCMP web page explaining that I need fingerprints, the part of my visa that says I need penal clearance and so on. Easy done.

So I call the local police station, and explain to the desk lady that I can provide why I need the prints. She's like, "yea, ok, but we only do electronic ones, so we don't have any forms. Here's the number for Criminal Records NSW." So I call Criminal Records NSW, and they are like "they can just do your prints and print the sheet out. If you need manual ones, they can do manual ones, maybe try a larger police station."

I'm in a smaller suburb, so I call the nearest large "police hub" if you will, and ask if they do manual prints. The lady was like "what suburb are you in?" so I told her, and she's like "they can do manual prints." and I'm like "they said they can only do electronic ones and want some form from me or something." And she's all smug and says " they can do manual prints, ask for their supervisor."

I friggin give up now. I just sent another e-mail to the RCMP asking if they will accept a printed copy of my electronic prints, or if there's some form or something I can get for these bone-heads. I'm really tired of playing he-said she-said, I just want to lodge my friggin request and get on with all the other important crap I need to worry about. Oh, this is also the 3rd day in a row I've spent trying to get fingerprints taken.

-- Mon May 17, 2010 1:33 pm --

I'm going to post this for anyone else who comes along looking for answers. If you're in Australia, and you need to get fingerprints done for a Canadian police records check for your visa, this is what you need to do.

Firstly, yes, you do need fingerprints for a Canadian Police Records check. You need to contact your nearest Consulate (Sydney is the only one in Aus I know of) and request a fingerprint form. They'll send it to you in the mail. Take that form, plus evidence that you need fingerprints for Canada (just incase they hassle you), a pre-paid post envelope with the address and return addresses already on it, plus a cheque for $25 CND (I chose a money order). Take this all into your local Police station. It cost me $42 AUD in NSW for the prints to be done. They'll do the prints for you, and put everything into the envelope, seal it for you, and send it from the police station. Any information requested on the RCMP site, but not included in the forms, should be written on a separate piece of paper to ensure they get all the correct info.

Canada will send your prints to your return address. Plan ahead, remember that you may need to put down a permanent address to return to if you are moving, since it can take up to 4 months (or more) to get your results back.

Hi guys,

I rang the immigration dept and they said that you can still be a resident of Canada if you are outside Canada. My Canadian partner is on a working holiday visa in Australia so that would still make him a resident of Canada. So all he has to do is obtain a police certificate (with no fingerprints) from Canada whilst in Australia.

Hey Matt26,

How is your partner going to do this from here in Auz? And do you recall who you spoke to at immigration?

Thanks

Geepers

I'm in Melbourne... I got my fingerprints done at the main police station (in the trade centre) in Melbourne. I had to make an appointment 3 weeks ahead of time, and tell them it was for immigration purposes, but when I went in there, it took 10 minutes and cost me nothing. I had to bring my passport.

I took that fingerprints form, put it in an envelope with my bank cheque in Canadian funds and sent it to the RCMP in Ottawa (there's an address on immigration Canada website). It took them about 5-6 months, but eventually I got my (clean) criminal record in the mail. I've asked, and there's no way to expedite this.

If you do it within Canada, it takes 2 weeks.


All this information is available on the Immigration Australia website.

To Kuroca
Which office is this that you went in Brisbane?
Will I need form C-126C or will they have a form there for me?
As Brissieangie mentioned, the website states that you need letter from our govt stating the reason for needing the fingerprints