rivingtonpike

So you're going to stop your immigration application to Canada because you've been asked for additional information? Seems a bit drastic.

DigitalGhost

They're not asking for more information, they're asking me to go through yet another expensive, complex and extremely intrusive process.

I've checked with my local police force and they will want 80 GBP just to take my fingerprints. Add whatever the RCMP and the agency(ies) who left the most cash behind the CIC's radiator decide to charge plus the recorded postage fees between the UK and Canada and I can't imagine the final cost will be cheap.

The fact they have singled me out for this in particular and most people don't have to do it only rubs additional salt into the wound.

rivingtonpike

Oh I see. If 80GBP is enough to put you off immigration to Canada, I think you're absolutely doing the right thing by not coming here. I know when we moved here it cost us loads more than that.

scilly

I really cannot believe that you are so upset at being asked to provide more information, albeit to the RCMP, that you are now unwilling to emigrate to Canada.

Perhaps it just shows that you are now doing the right thing by not coming?

Do you maybe have something to hide???

You've been told that it is a relatively common request ........ after all you DID spend 15 months here, then returned to the UK, and now you want to emigrate again .............. those 2 things alone might cause some questions.

Maybe the 15 months you were here are the reason why Immigration wants to know whether the RCMP might have a record for you?????

It is more than the 6 months requested for having lived for more than 6 months in any other country than the UK

Did you think of that???????

DigitalGhost

It's not the cost that I object to as much as the added inconvenience, intrusion on my privacy, stress and the fact that the whole thing is completely unfair and avoidable.

DigitalGhost

Then they should be able to query that with the RCMP themselves. They report to the same government and federal jurisdiction. They shouldn't need to bother me with this nonsense.

If the situation was as you suggest then they would request this information from everyone rather than just picking on me and a few others they have taken a dislike to for whatever reason.

rivingtonpike

If this is stressing you, then really really really don't continue with the process. It'll get a lot worse before it gets better. If, already, you can't cope, I would honestly stay in the UK.

DigitalGhost

You're probably right tbh and I appreciate the advice. I didn't mind when I had to follow the same process as everyone else but I really don't like being singled out like this when I've done absolutely nothing wrong and have only been honest and up front with them.

Vulcanoid

You are going through the same process as everyone else. Anyone is liable to have an RCMP check requested - as you've been told, it's probable that someone with a same name or similar details has a police record, and they need to make sure it's not you.

I'm amazed how much you're overreacting - it's a minor inconvenience in the application process, and one that can happen to anyone.

PMM

Hi

1. The OP should be thankful that s/he wasn't asked for an FBI criminal records check as well, the reaction would be interesting to watch.

Pollyana

And if that is the case then fingerprints are the answer - they are the way cases like this are almost always resolved.
In my previous life I did police checks for the protection of children - teachers, social workers etc, pre-CRB, when the checks were done by local Police Services. I reckon we had 4-5 cases a year in my area where we turned up possible matches going by name/DoB/address, and in all those cases we had to request fingerprints These were just ordinary people applying for jobs, most of them never had any contact with the police before - so we explain its for elimination, fingerprints being unique this is the way to prove whether that person with similar details is actually a totally different individual. It was extra to the normal process but people accepted it, they knew if they wanted the job, they had to go through with it.
Now I'm going back several years but I'm fairly sure that no-one who we sent for fingerprints had a 'common' name, for one thing - they were sometimes very unusual, which increased the need for prints because of the fact that it would be hard to believe one county had two people called Hyacinth Bucket, both working as teachers, but trust me those coincidences do happen.

I should also mention that in 6 years doing the job the only person who refused prints had identical details to a person with a long record, it was a nasty record that would have prevented him working with kids,and at the first whisper of needing prints he withdrew his application and moved house.

As we used to explain to people, fingerprints are the way of eliminating you, of removing the possibility that you could be the person holding a record. Its not done for fun, its done for your benefit.

Interesting to see that in 20 years the cost has only gone from £20 to £80 - that is set by, and sent to, the Home Office BTW, the money does not actually go to the Police Service involved.

Pollyana

I used to hate takng prints for the FBI, they are sooooooo fussy

gaz_c2c

My wife and I received a number of requests throughout the EE process earlier this year, including an RCMP check for her (not me though) and I had to provide additional details for foreign military and government service.

I'll admit that the RCMP checks were an inconvenience (as we are applying from the UK) and indeed our first set of prints were refused due to poor quality! The second set of prints went through fine and we received our passport requests last week (hopefully receive our COPR in the next week or two) ..... in my opinon it was totally worth it.

Although I understand the OP's frustration, at the end of the day the government of Canada has an obligation to do its due diligence on newcomers and every applicant will also have more detailed security checks run by CSIS. Legal immigration is by its nature an intrusive business and if we aren't prepared for full disclosure then we run the risk of refusal.

Finally, IRCC is working round the clock and inviting several thousand new applications every month so I can also understand why the onus is on the individual to provide satisfactory documentation. I know that IRCC is fair game for stick when it comes to its shoddy website and sometimes contradictory instructions but they are doing a tough job and turning around applications in 3 or 4 months...so fair play!

crg2704

We had the request for fingerprints yesterday as well, we are applying through the CEC stream but my wife had a request about her qualification assessment as ' your application through federal skill worker'. She had the assessment done through IQAS originally but they were on about no records found through WES. Dont understand that bit but hey ho if they want it thats what they will get lol

DigitalGhost

If I was in Canada then it might be considered a minor inconvenience. From where I live this is a gigantic pain in the arse and I'm done with jumping through hoops for these bureaucratic, pen pushing morons.

You may consider it an overreaction if you like but I'm happy to agree to disagree.