Operational Bulletin 341 - August 8, 2011

Procedures for Requesting Police Certificates from Non-Singapore Citizens – Modified

Summary

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has revised the procedures for non-Singapore citizens to obtain a Certificate of Clearance (COC). In order to assess an applicant’s admissibility for permanent residence to Canada, a COC is required by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) from all applicants who have lived in Singapore for at least six consecutive months since reaching the age of 18. The procedures for obtaining a COC for Singapore citizens remain unchanged.

Issue

This Operational Bulletin (OB) provides instructions to officers inland and at visa offices abroad on what steps should be taken when requesting police certificates from non-Singapore citizens who are current or former residents of Singapore.

Background

The COC issued by the SPF certifies that an applicant does not have any criminal convictions in Singapore. On October 18, 2010, the SPF ceased issuing the COC to non-Singapore citizens unless the application for one is accompanied by a letter from an immigration office showing the file number and name of the person who requires the COC.

CIC requires a COC in order to assess an applicant’s admissibility to Canada and will not accept a Statutory Declaration of no criminal conviction.

Instructions

Effective immediately, inland and visa offices requesting a Singapore police certificate from a non-Singapore citizen should send the sample letter and the COC Appeal Application Form (only available in English) in Appendix A to the applicant. The letter asks the applicant to submit a request to obtain COC(s) to the SPF along with a copy of the letter issued by CIC. The SPF will send police certificate(s) directly to the inland or visa office, and not to the applicant.

For further information outlined in this OB, please contact your supervisor or your Regional Program Advisor (RPA).

Appendix A – Sample letter (PDF format, size: 40 Kb) (PDF, 39.81KB)

COC Appeal Application Form (PDF format, size: 15 Kb) (PDF, 14.88KB)