kor94

Dear Friends,

I have two questions:

1)Is there any differences between security check and background check?

2) When CIC usually do security check? How long does it usually take?


Thank you for your comments in advance.

Judy in Calgary

First of all, I'm not an immigration expert, but have picked up a thing or two from hanging around this forum.

I gather that security and background checks are different processes.

A security check consists of ascertaining whether or not an applicant has a criminal record, is likely to be a terrorist threat, etc. I am guessing that the visa officer who reviews an applicant's file looks at the police clearance certificate(s) he/she has submitted. But assessing the security risk that an applicant may or may not pose to Canada may involve more than just reading police clearance certificates. I don't know what else the visa officer does to fulfill his/her duties in this regard.

When a visa officer does a background check, he/she satisfies him/herself that the statements that the applicant has made about him/herself (name, family members, employment history, etc.) are true.

Although I've called them separate processes, I imagine that background and security checks sometimes may be related to each other. For example, I can visualize a scenario in which the visa officer discovers something odd while he/she is doing the background check, and that motivates him/her to do a more thorough security check. That is just a hunch on my part, but it makes sense to me.

Apparently the background and security check phase of the process can take anywhere from a few months to over a year. (That's not counting the time that the file spends in the queue while it's waiting to be reviewed by a visa officer.)

The answer that Andrew Miller provided in this thread may be helpful.

Andrew Miller

Just to add to Judy's post.

Background check is done by visa post processing application with cooperation of visa posts where your education and experience credentials are from - this task verifies your claims and authenticity of documents.

Security check is done by Canadian intelligence and security agencies, with or without cooperation of proper authorities in countries you lived/stayed in, and it is done completely independently from CIC - CIC only gets result, which will be positive or negative, without any explanation (as it is classified). This task looks deep into your life, activities and associations to find out if you are/were involved or are/were associated in any way with anyone who is/was involved in espionage, terrorism, organized crime, radical movements, crimes against humanity, war crimes, etc..

Criminal check looks into your police certificates and verifies with relevant countries to see if you have a criminal record that may make you inadmissible to Canada.

Judy in Calgary

Thanks for the additional detail, Andrew. That's useful stuff to know.

kor94

Dear Mr.Miller and Judy,


Thank you for your prefect explanation. It is assume!

Do you have any idea when CIC usually do the security check? I have heard that they do it after you did your medical and they finished your background check, and it is the final stage of the immigration process. Is it true or security check is a parallel process along with other stages.


Best Wishes,

Andrew Miller

It varies by visa post. Some visa posts are sending request for security check to CSIS (Canadian spy agency) after selection decision is made, other do it when preliminary assessment is positive. It is not much relevant when it starts as process may take, as Judy already pointed out, anywhere from few months to well over a year.

andrewlong

A question:
So does that mean a credit check may also be done on the person who is planning to immigrate to Canada, if he/she is residing in Canada?

PMM

Hi

No, credit checks are not part of the process.

andrewlong

Any suggestion By Mr. Andrew Miller