Who Can Certify an Identity Document for Canadian Immigration?
- CIC requires all applicants requesting permanent residency in Canada without their family to submit a notarized copy of a declaration confirming that they plan to immigrate alone. The declaration may only be signed by a registered notary and clearly indicate that the applicant understands that his family members will be required to go through the complete immigration process if they decide to apply for residency at a later date. This statutory declaration is the only identity that must be certified before submission to CIC officials
- Canadian immigration officials only accept originals of certain identity documents and will reject any notarized copies. Applicants must produce originals of any security clearances and police certificates, as well as originals of personal university transcripts and professional letters of reference.
- Most identity documents submitted to Canadian immigration authorities as part of an application may be non-certified copies of originals. For example, CIC requires all applicants to submit copies of their children's birth certificates, passport photo pages and T4 tax slips, but certification is not required in any case.