Case: Obtaining China Police Certificates Remotely for Canadian Immigration

Last updated: June 2025 (subject to the latest requirements of local public security authorities)

This case describes how we helped a client who was already living in the United States to obtain China Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs) for multiple cities, without returning to China, so that he could complete a Canadian permanent residence (PR) application. We sorted out his residence history, confirmed the competent authorities in each city and arranged compliant remote authorisation to issue PCCs that met Canadian immigration requirements.

1. Client background and purpose

Client A has been living and working in the United States for many years and is now preparing to apply for Canadian permanent residence. Before submitting his application, the immigration authority required him to provide China Police Clearance Certificates covering all periods when he lived in China.

He had lived and studied in two different cities in China. He left China more than five years ago and was unable to return in the short term. He hoped to obtain compliant PCCs without interrupting his current work and life overseas.

2. Main challenges and risk assessment

In the initial consultation phase, we focused on the following issues:

• The two cities involved different public security / exit–entry authorities, and each authority issued its own PCC under slightly different rules.
• Some regions impose strict requirements on authorisation letters for entrusted handling, including Chinese wording, signatures and supporting ID documents.
• The client was abroad, so we needed to confirm whether consular notarisation or legalization of the authorisation was necessary.
• Canadian immigration rules place emphasis on the time coverage of PCCs and strict consistency of names, passport numbers and dates.

After confirming the legal basis and practical requirements of the two cities, we concluded that the case could be handled through a compliant remote authorisation approach, and we designed a step-by-step plan accordingly.

3. Overall handling plan

Based on the client’s residence history, passport information and the Canadian authority’s written instructions, we outlined the following stages:

1. Sort out residence history and competent authorities
   The client filled out a detailed table showing when he lived, studied and worked in each Chinese city. We then matched those time periods with the public security / exit–entry authorities that could issue PCCs, and confirmed whether a single city’s PCC would be sufficient or whether multiple PCCs needed to be submitted together.
2. Prepare authorisation and ID documents
   According to each city’s requirements, we drafted a Chinese authorisation letter, guided the client to sign it abroad, and collected scanned copies of the passport information page, old passports (if any) and relevant visa pages.
3. Submit applications in China
   Our on-the-ground partners submitted applications to the competent authorities in each city, including the authorisation letter, identity documents and proof of previous residence (if required). If a city updated its document checklist, we immediately coordinated with the client to provide any additional materials.
4. Obtain PCCs and review details
   After the PCCs were issued, we carefully checked that names, passport numbers and date ranges were correct, and that the wording clearly indicated “no criminal record” or an equivalent phrase, in order to avoid any ambiguity leading to rejection.
5. Subsequent notarisation or legalization
   Where Canadian authorities required notarised PCCs, we further arranged notarial services. Based on the policy at that time, we decided whether additional authentication or legalization was necessary.
6. Secure delivery and usage guidance
   We then sent the final documents to the client’s US address using a tracked international courier service, and provided guidance on how to use them, including whether copies were acceptable and whether translations were needed.

4. Result and timeframe

• From the time the client provided complete information, it took around 7–10 working days to obtain the final documents (excluding international courier time).
• The client successfully obtained PCCs covering residence records in both cities, together with the necessary notarial documents.
• The PCCs were accepted by the Canadian immigration authority and used to support the permanent residence application.

5. Suggestions for similar situations

1. Start by sorting out all cities and time periods where you lived in China; multi-city histories often require multiple PCCs.
2. If you are overseas, pay special attention to the correctness of the authorisation letter and ID documents, and ensure signatures are consistent.
3. Confirm in advance the exact requirements of the destination country, such as whether scans are acceptable and whether notarisation or legalization is mandatory.
4. If your timeline is tight or the situation is complex, it is wise to consult a professional team early to avoid long delays caused by non-compliant documents.