I’m applying for a work permit under the GSS. Do I need include a police certificate?

Processing delays for GSS applications

Processing times for GSS applications continue to be affected by

the number of applications we’ve already received
an increase in applications as health and travel restrictions lift in Canada and around the world

It will probably take more than 2 weeks to process your GSS application. We’re continuing to recover so we can return to 2-week processing.

It depends on where you are applying from. Many of our visa offices abroad have specific instructions that you need to follow. To find out if you need a police certificate:

Go to the work permit application.
Select the country or territory you are applying from.
Download the country-specific “visa office requirements” from the list of documents, if there are any.

Visa office instructions are specific to your location and will tell you if you need a police certificate.

If your police certificate is not in English or French you must get a certified translation and include it in your application, even if the visa office requirements say we accept other languages.

If you can’t get a police certificate, include an explanation and any supporting documents with your application. We will review your explanation and let you know if we need more information.

If you need a police certificate but don’t include it with your application, it may take longer than two weeks to process your application.

Find out how to get a police certificate.