Operations Memoranda (OM) - Citizenship Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this OM is to announce a change in CIC policy concerning the use of private agencies for the fingerprinting process.

Background

The RCMP has reviewed its policy concerning the submission of fingerprints by non-police agencies. The review focused on the emergence of private fingerprint agencies and a means to ensure integrity of both the information and process. Following extensive consultations, it was determined that the issue of fingerprinting for citizenship and immigration purposes remains a law enforcement responsibility, particularly for security reasons. Effective August 1, 2000, the Canadian Criminal Records Information Service (CCRIS) will only accept fingerprint submissions from accredited Canadian police services or from agent(s) acting on their behalf. Police services will continue to be responsible for the quality and integrity of the fingerprints submitted through the police service or their agent(s). The RCMP will maintain a list of police certified private fingerprint agencies. To ensure internal control each agent company will be required to bear an official police service stamp clearly noting that the Fingerprint Agency is making a submission as a bona fide agent of that police service.

Policy

Effective immediately, clients who require fingerprints are to be referred to "the local RCMP detachment or local police service". Fingerprint forms received from non-accredited private agencies with dates on or after August 1, 2000, will be rejected by the RCMP.*

Until national and local letters and literature are amended to reflect this policy change, correspondence and information provided to clients should be amended to include the names of only the local RCMP detachment and/or local police service. In situations where neither the RCMP nor the local police take fingerprints, the onus will now be on the police service to provide CIC clients with the names of private agents acting on their behalf.

* Fingerprints submitted as a result of a fingerprint request letter dated before August 1, 2000 will be accepted by the RCMP until September 30, 2000.

More Information:

Questions concerning fingerprinting may be directed to Susan Nicholson, Program Advisor, or to e-mail account: Nat-Citizenship Policy@8425SIC@CINA.