Police Certificate Question

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coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1157188 17-Oct-2014 22:08

Elpie:
coolcat21:
trig42: On the record checking, at work we are commencing a large hire (for retail staff) and they require police checks. We were told that there is a large backlog, and results can take up to 4 weeks (which is your 20 working days).
Send an explanation with proof to IEC that there are delays in the NZ system. Nerve-wracking I'll bet, but I hope it all works out OK for you.

Arghh that's 20 WORKING days ...I just realized that Loll :(

Well in my conditional acceptance letter it says if I can't provider some documents for any reason, I should write a letter explaining why + a timeline of when CIC can get it ..and then to upload it as the missing document instead.
So say if i can't provider a police certificate , i should upload a letter as the "certificate" for that section.

My worry is that while waiting, if it gets past 29Oct 2014 (exp date) and I still haven't received it...that they'll reject the visa + with my acceptance letter being expired..it's a one time thing ....no more will be issued.

Don't worry too much. Get something in writing from MoJ about the timeframe, and a couple of days before 29th, if you haven't received the police cert, upload this with a cover letter. Delays happen and they are well aware of this. You won't be unduly penalised.

You can also try emailing the general enquiry address at MoJ to ask if there is anything you can do, such as providing a self-addressed, paid courier envelope, to make sure you get your certificate before your deadline. info@justice.govt.nz

Apart from that, just wait and try not to worry. Ha! I know that's easier said than done. I was in full panic mode when I missed deadlines with my PR application, due to governments not talking to each other. Deadlines had to be extended twice but what was a disaster in my mind was a meh, it happens, to them.

Ha yea, I'm probably over-reacting, but I kept thinking about how this is my one and only chance. Since the nz-canada program is issued once per lifetime. Unlike those lucky aussies. They basically could keep applying for for IEC over and over again until they're 31 then apply for CEC hahaha.

It says on my conditional acceptance letter than I have to submit a complete application before 29oct 2014. And that " if you are unable to upload some documents, upload a letter explaining why & when CIC can expect to receive it and then upload it as the missing document "

So that's what I did, I uploaded all the normal forms, photo, passport etc. And for police certificate I uploaded a pdf containing this :

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sir/Madam,
I have requested a criminal certificate from the Ministry of Justice NZ as soon as I received my IEC Conditional Acceptance Letter. Even though I have told them that this is urgent, they told me it will take approximately 20 days for it to be mailed to me.

When I have received it, I will immediately scan and upload it to MyCIC to support my application.

In the meantime, since my Conditional Acceptance Letter will expire on the 29th October 2014, I must upload this letter so I can submit my visa application before the expiry date.
Please let me know if you instead want me to fill in a Consent to Disclosure of Information (NZ) form so you can do the criminal background check instead.

I sincerely apologize for this late submission and hope that my application will not be rejected because of this or if the Acceptance Letter expires while waiting for the criminal certificate.

Kind Regards,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then I submitted the application and digitally signed it.

And now I can't upload anything until they ask me to.

Nerve-wrecking lol. But I'm super excited about this. After talking to some more people from Calgary (which were reallllllly friendly and welcoming btw) , they said that IT is in huge demand over there, but of course a job won't just be handed to you on a silver platter. You gotta show and you can do the job, and can communicate and the most important thing is work ethic + attitude.

I think if i can work a year or close to a year , just work really hard, have lots of work to do, have an excellent attitude, arrive early etc....I have a decent chance of getting sponsored for an extended stay.

This express entry thing that Canada will put in place 1st Jan 2015...is basically the new step before you can do the normal Provincial Nominee, CEC, or FSW path to immigration/PR.

Basically they pit you against other potential immigrants. They select the best based on age + work exp + canadian work exp + education etc... then put those people in a pool which then registered employers could grab from and offer a job.....if you are offered then you will be invited to apply for PR through CEC/PNP/FSW.

Geektastic

17942 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1157204 17-Oct-2014 22:57

I remember when I had to do this for my NZ Permanent Residency.

The Met Plod in London took ages.

Whilst I was waiting, I was employed by the government in a role requiring Top Secret clearance. That was processed and included having UK security services visit and interview parents and referees on behalf of SIS.

Clearance was granted.

Next visit to Immigration NZ, the case officer asked for the Police letter from the UK. I explained I had TS clearance that would undoubtedly not have been granted by SIS if I had a criminal record - so could they not simply use that instead, as it was far more in depth than just a pro forma letter from a police admin person in London.

Oh no. Have to have the police letter. Computer says no etc etc

Grrrr!

So you have my sympathies in dealing with the Jobsworths.

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1157215 17-Oct-2014 23:13

To give yourself a chance at CEC, try to get one complete year of working in. Land as a visitor then, the day you start work do the IEC landing. This can be done at CIC offices, not just at the border. When going through customs and immigration at the border you may be asked what you are doing in Canada. Tell the truth and explain why you don't wish to start your IEC year right away. The border control officer has discretion to allow you in as a visitor or to activate your IEC so you just have to graciously accept whichever type of entry they allow you. Loads of people do it so, especially at Vancouver airport, this won't be an uncommon request.

CEC requires exactly a year (or more) of Canadian working experience so activating IEC at the right time is important. My daughter went to BC on an IEC, with a job ready to go into. Her employer then gave her a starting date three days later, thinking they were doing her a favour in letting her have time to settle in. Being 3 days shy of a year of full employment, with her employer wanting to keep her on long-term was no fun. She had to stop working as soon as the IEC expired. Based on what happened to her, I recommend only activating on the day you actually start working.

Another tip: if you intend to stay over there after the IEC expires, while waiting for employment visa processes to go through, make sure you apply for a change in status to take place on the date your IEC ends. NZers can stay in Canada as visitors for six months but this is not an automatic right at the end of an IEC or visa. It must be applied for. You do this online, and request a change to visitor status as of the date of IEC expiry. Failing to do this means you go out of status and effectively become an illegal immigrant if you are still in the country. This can kill any employment visa opportunity dead.

Final tip: get up to speed with Canadian tax. Working there for a year will most likely give you tax credits and the money you get back after submitting a tax return might surprise you. It's worth getting a tax consultant or accountant to prepare your tax return.

Very best of luck with it all.

coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1157220 17-Oct-2014 23:46

Elpie: To give yourself a chance at CEC, try to get one complete year of working in. Land as a visitor then, the day you start work do the IEC landing. This can be done at CIC offices, not just at the border. When going through customs and immigration at the border you may be asked what you are doing in Canada. Tell the truth and explain why you don't wish to start your IEC year right away. The border control officer has discretion to allow you in as a visitor or to activate your IEC so you just have to graciously accept whichever type of entry they allow you. Loads of people do it so, especially at Vancouver airport, this won't be an uncommon request.

CEC requires exactly a year (or more) of Canadian working experience so activating IEC at the right time is important. My daughter went to BC on an IEC, with a job ready to go into. Her employer then gave her a starting date three days later, thinking they were doing her a favour in letting her have time to settle in. Being 3 days shy of a year of full employment, with her employer wanting to keep her on long-term was no fun. She had to stop working as soon as the IEC expired. Based on what happened to her, I recommend only activating on the day you actually start working.

Another tip: if you intend to stay over there after the IEC expires, while waiting for employment visa processes to go through, make sure you apply for a change in status to take place on the date your IEC ends. NZers can stay in Canada as visitors for six months but this is not an automatic right at the end of an IEC or visa. It must be applied for. You do this online, and request a change to visitor status as of the date of IEC expiry. Failing to do this means you go out of status and effectively become an illegal immigrant if you are still in the country. This can kill any employment visa opportunity dead.

Final tip: get up to speed with Canadian tax. Working there for a year will most likely give you tax credits and the money you get back after submitting a tax return might surprise you. It's worth getting a tax consultant or accountant to prepare your tax return.

Very best of luck with it all.

The full 1 year thing will be hard to do though, even if you activate it right on the date you start the job. Because won't you always encounter December ? And I don't know much about Canada, but do most offices there open all 4 weeks in December ?

My plan is that (again, i know this is still far away and my iec visa is still far from a done deal) , after 6 months on the IEC, if my employer wants me to work long-term, they should apply for an LMO (now LMIA) and since that process takes months, there's still a chance it will be approved just 1 or 2 months before my IEC expires right ? how long do LMO/LMIA decision is usually reached ?

Also, that's really good that your daughter went to BC with arranged employment beforehand...and then getting her company to keep her long term. If you don't mind, may i know what field she works in and if the company was a big company or a startup etc.

Just curious because it's mostly the medium/big companies that have the resources/money and willingness to apply for LMO, as it is quite costly

Azzura

603 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1157283 18-Oct-2014 08:21

Do you have medical coverage setup?

coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1157356 18-Oct-2014 10:42

Azzura: Do you have medical coverage setup?

Nope. The conditional acceptance letter said that I should not book flights, accomodations, accept jobs, or get med insurance until I get my Letter of Introduction from CIC (the one i'm nervously waiting for)

or did you mean a medical check ?

Hopefully I won't need that. I've been living in nz for the past 12 years. Originally from Indonesia but haven't been there since 2005.

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1157422 18-Oct-2014 12:56

coolcat21:
The full 1 year thing will be hard to do though, even if you activate it right on the date you start the job. Because won't you always encounter December ? And I don't know much about Canada, but do most offices there open all 4 weeks in December ?

My plan is that (again, i know this is still far away and my iec visa is still far from a done deal) , after 6 months on the IEC, if my employer wants me to work long-term, they should apply for an LMO (now LMIA) and since that process takes months, there's still a chance it will be approved just 1 or 2 months before my IEC expires right ? how long do LMO/LMIA decision is usually reached ?

Also, that's really good that your daughter went to BC with arranged employment beforehand...and then getting her company to keep her long term. If you don't mind, may i know what field she works in and if the company was a big company or a startup etc. Just curious because it's mostly the medium/big companies that have the resources/money and willingness to apply for LMO, as it is quite costly

Good luck with that. Very few companies (of any size) apply for LMO's these days. They are costly, not just in fees but also in company time. The key issue with LMO/LMIA is that the company must prove that they cannot get a Canadian to do the job. They must advertise and do everything they can to fill the vacancy with a Canadian. Unless you have skills that are just not available in Canada then companies tend not to bother.

My daughter was working for a multi-national and has specialist skills. They really wanted to keep her but the company policy was changed after the immigration changes and they no longer apply for LMO/LMIA. She stopped work as soon as her IEC expired and has a guarantee from the company that her job is being kept for her. She is now going through the process for a work visa - six months so far and still waiting. If it is not approved before January her application will be cancelled and she will have to apply through the pool.

I'm not sure why you think December would make any difference. Canada doesn't shut down for any holidays and December isn't holiday season anyway. In Alberta, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are public holidays. Boxing Day is an optional holiday that some companies take and others don't. That's it. But employment doesn't end at a public holiday and start again after so if you time the start of your IEC you can definitely get twelve months in for CEC.

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coolcat21

285 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1157573 18-Oct-2014 18:31

Elpie:
coolcat21:
The full 1 year thing will be hard to do though, even if you activate it right on the date you start the job. Because won't you always encounter December ? And I don't know much about Canada, but do most offices there open all 4 weeks in December ?

My plan is that (again, i know this is still far away and my iec visa is still far from a done deal) , after 6 months on the IEC, if my employer wants me to work long-term, they should apply for an LMO (now LMIA) and since that process takes months, there's still a chance it will be approved just 1 or 2 months before my IEC expires right ? how long do LMO/LMIA decision is usually reached ?

Also, that's really good that your daughter went to BC with arranged employment beforehand...and then getting her company to keep her long term. If you don't mind, may i know what field she works in and if the company was a big company or a startup etc. Just curious because it's mostly the medium/big companies that have the resources/money and willingness to apply for LMO, as it is quite costly

Good luck with that. Very few companies (of any size) apply for LMO's these days. They are costly, not just in fees but also in company time. The key issue with LMO/LMIA is that the company must prove that they cannot get a Canadian to do the job. They must advertise and do everything they can to fill the vacancy with a Canadian. Unless you have skills that are just not available in Canada then companies tend not to bother.

My daughter was working for a multi-national and has specialist skills. They really wanted to keep her but the company policy was changed after the immigration changes and they no longer apply for LMO/LMIA. She stopped work as soon as her IEC expired and has a guarantee from the company that her job is being kept for her. She is now going through the process for a work visa - six months so far and still waiting. If it is not approved before January her application will be cancelled and she will have to apply through the pool.

I'm not sure why you think December would make any difference. Canada doesn't shut down for any holidays and December isn't holiday season anyway. In Alberta, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are public holidays. Boxing Day is an optional holiday that some companies take and others don't. That's it. But employment doesn't end at a public holiday and start again after so if you time the start of your IEC you can definitely get twelve months in for CEC.

So your daughter has been out of work for 6 months and counting ? Wouldn't her visitor visa expire by now ?

So she was on an IEC (working holiday visa) , secured a job before landing in Canada (which is great!) , worked there for a year and wanted to continue when the IEC visa expires. But then the company changed the policy and won't apply for LMIA anymore. So she doesn't have a permit but is applying for a work visa via LMIA which you said the company stopped doing ? I'm abit confused lol. Last I checked a work visa can only be obtained via either IEC...or LMIA.

Also, sorry beforehand if I seem abit nosy, I'm not. Just wanted to do as much research and be prepared as much as possible. When you said she has 'specialist skills' , may i know in what field ? gas&oil , IT, engineering, geo, managerial, etc.. ....but don't want to know the company name, as i know that's private stuff.

The express entry thing seems like it'll benefit the field I mentioned above though. And I think your daughter's application can be processed faster (6months or less they promised) under this pool system, especially if she's already had a job offer/promise from her current (or shall i say ex) employer.

mckenndk

911 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1157624 18-Oct-2014 21:24

I went through this process earlier this year and it took the full 4 weeks for it to arrive.

As long as you have applied for it straight away you will be fine.

I head off in November and have been looking at everything from banks to mobile providers, have plenty of work mates from Canada so that was helpful.

I'm just going to go with the flow after arriving, have not got a job lined up but will start looking a few weeks before I go.

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1157663 19-Oct-2014 00:44

coolcat21:Wouldn't her visitor visa expire by now ? So she was on an IEC (working holiday visa) , secured a job before landing in Canada (which is great!) , worked there for a year and wanted to continue when the IEC visa expires. But then the company changed the policy and won't apply for LMIA anymore. So she doesn't have a permit but is applying for a work visa via LMIA which you said the company stopped doing ?

Visitor visas can be renewed and there's usually no problem doing so if you can prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself. If you have the skills, it's (still, I think? Doesn't end until January 2015) possible to apply through the Federal Skilled Worker program. When you have a job offer in place, as she has, there's no cap on those applications. As I said, she is not going through LMO/LMIA because her previous/future employer doesn't do this.

Azzura

603 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1157685 19-Oct-2014 05:51

coolcat21:
Azzura: Do you have medical coverage setup?

Nope. The conditional acceptance letter said that I should not book flights, accomodations, accept jobs, or get med insurance until I get my Letter of Introduction from CIC (the one i'm nervously waiting for)

or did you mean a medical check ? Hopefully I won't need that. I've been living in nz for the past 12 years. Originally from Indonesia but haven't been there since 2005.

Was referring to medical coverage. If you should happen to unfortunately need medical care in Canada - Provinces won't cover any medical care... until you have been in their Province for 90 days. After that they will cover you.

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