How to do a Background Check in Canada in 2024

Many individuals require background checks at some point in their life, for immigration, pr, and other purposes, but do not know how to obtain one. No need to worry, Globeia is here to support you every step of the way! Before we delve into the way background checks are obtained, let’s first go over what a background check is. A background check is a method for individuals or companies to verify the identity of a person in relation to the validity of their criminal record, employment history, educational background, alongside other details that confirm the identity of the person in question. Having access to details from the past, such as any previous criminal acts, is a key factor to consider when making informed decisions about the future. Quite often, background checks are a vital process conducted by employers in the hiring process of a candidate. Alongside employers, other resources such as embassies, universities, and even immigration departments may also require you to get your background check done in order to aid them in their decision-making process.

Types of Background Checks

• CPIC – (Canadian Police Information Centre) which is a name & date of birth based criminal record check
• Fingerprint Based Criminal Record Check
• Vulnerable Sector Check
• Judicial Matters Check

Name & Date of Birth Based Criminal Record Check: A name-based criminal record check, more so often known as CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) is a method to detect a person’s criminal record in the RCMP National Repository of Criminal Records, based on the name and date of birth of the individual, and can be done within one day. These name-based criminal record checks are considered basic as they are merely based on name and date of birth, hence the name and are ideal for certain employment purposes. The purpose of this type of criminal record check is to compare the applicant’s personal identification to available criminal records to see if they have committed a crime. Name-based searches are conducted by a local police agency.

Globeia can assist you with obtaining a name-based criminal record check (CPIC) as they are partnered with the police who have access to their database to check the records. A name-based check can either come back as negative or incomplete. If it’s negative, that means no criminal record has been found. If the results come back as positive or incomplete, this means that a record is found. This means that the search was unable to conclude that the individual does not have a criminal record, but does not necessarily mean that they have a criminal record. Sometimes these checks may come back as incomplete, since having the same name and date of birth as another person may be quite common. In that case scenario, the individual would be asked by the RCMP to obtain a fingerprint-based background check as this is the most discrete and accurate depiction of a person’s criminal record and history.

The fingerprint-based criminal record check, as mentioned above is the most accurate depiction of a person’s criminal record as no two individuals share the same set of fingerprints. This type of fingerprint-based criminal record check is often required by immigration departments, citizenship offices, certain employment types, amongst other resources that may ask you to obtain this type of clearance. When name-based criminal record checks do not provide a definite way of confirming a person’s identity, you may be asked to provide fingerprints. This is known as a certified criminal record check. It looks for crimes and arrests that are in the database under that set of fingerprints.

Fingerprint criminal record checks are done by the RCMP. Globeia can assist you by taking your fingerprints and electronically submitting them to the RCMP the day of. The RCMP takes an applicant’s submission (usually performed by Live Scan digital fingerprinting process) to assess whether the individual has a criminal record. The RCMP fingerprint-based criminal record check is more thorough than the CPIC check as it is merely based on an individual’s fingerprints. A very small number of people have fingerprints that cannot be processed electronically.

In these exceptional cases, the police service or agency will submit a paper copy of your fingerprints. It takes 10-15 minutes to take the fingerprints in the office and then we would submit the fingerprints to the RCMP the day of. The RCMP takes 2-3 weeks to deliver the results to the mailing address that you provide if there is no criminal record present. However, if a criminal record is present, it may take between 1 to 4 months for the results to be delivered to the mailing address. Vulnerable Sector Check: The vulnerable sector check is for people who volunteer or have jobs where they are in positions of trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons. 

The decision to request a vulnerable sector check is made by the hiring company or volunteer organization. The vulnerable sector check can only be done by the police, at your local police station. As such, if you are residing in Toronto, you would have to visit the following address: 40 College Street Toronto, ON M5G 2J3 However, as per the RCMP policy, the police station may advise the requirement of providing fingerprints ONLY if the GENDER and DATE OF BIRTH of the applicant match an existing pardoned sexual offence record. This is not an accusation of criminality, but it is required to verify the person’s identity and to protect personal privacy. You will only be required to do the fingerprint-based criminal record check if the police station asks you to do it. In this case, they will issue you a letter of which you would be required to bring with you when you visit an accredited fingerprinting agency like Globeia. 

The fingerprint criminal record check is part of a vulnerable sector check wherein we can help the applicant to obtain a criminal record, only if the police station has advised the applicant to do so. Fingerprints for vulnerable sectors take 10-15 minutes to take the fingerprints in the office and then we would submit them to the RCMP day off. The RCMP then takes 2-3 weeks to deliver the results directly to the Toronto Police Station if no criminal record is present. Please note that in the case that a criminal record is found, the turnaround time to receive the results maybe 1 to 4 months. 

Judicial matters check is intended for applicants seeking employment or volunteering with organizations that require a criminal records check, along with a search of outstanding entries and charges. The information released on a CRJMC includes: criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local police records, findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act if allowed by law Absolute and conditional discharges, and charges before the court or judicial orders. A CRJMC is typically used for Municipal Licencing, UBER or other ride-sharing organizations, and employment positions that are not related to the vulnerable sector (retail, trades, banking, etc.) and take 7 to 10 business days for the judicial matters check to arrive.

**Please note, in order to receive any of the background checks (police clearances), two pieces of valid ID are required, of which one must be a photo ID containing the individual’s signature.

Below is a list of accepted identification:

• Foreign Passport 
• Driver’s Licence 
• Canadian Passport 
• Canadian Citizenship Card 
• Permanent Resident (PR) Card 
• Certificate of Indian Status 
• Student Identity Card 
• Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC) -
• Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) identification card 
• Federal, provincial, or municipal identification card 
• Military family identification card (MFID) 
• Work Permit Globeia is readily available to assist you in making this a swift and easy process.