- What is Canada Identity Verification?
- What happens if a candidate’s Canadian digital identity verification is unsuccessful?
- What identification documents are accepted for Canada Identity Verification?
- What is an Enhanced Criminal Check?
- Are Vulnerable Sector Checks available in Canada?
- Does the candidate need to verify their identity?
What is Canada Identity Verification?
Canada Identity Verification is a digital online candidate verification service that works to verify a candidate’s identification documents and likeness during the background check process. Identity verification is required for all Canadian basic criminal checks.
At the end of each background check application, candidates working in Canada will be guided through this verification process via our third-party provider, Yoti. Yoti is a trusted vendor approved by Canada that securely verifies identification documents and likenesses of individuals. This Yoti process is also available in the French language.
What happens if a candidate’s Canadian digital identity verification is unsuccessful?
If a candidate’s Canadian digital identity verification is unsuccessful, the candidate will be asked to upload their identification and video documentation manually.
What identification documents are accepted for Canada Identity Verification?
Acceptable pieces of identification for Canada Identity Verification
Digital identity verification
The ID verification process using Yoti requires the candidate to present one piece of ID. This must be one of the following:
Manual identity verification
For manual identity verification, a candidate must provide two (2) valid pieces of identification: A primary card and a secondary card.
| Primary pieces of ID | Any government-issued card that includes the Candidate's name, date of birth, signature, and photo. |
Examples:
|
|---|---|---|
| Secondary pieces of ID | A second “PRIMARY” piece of ID OR a piece of identification from the list below. (Candidate’s name on the secondary piece of ID must match that on the primary ID.) |
Examples:
|
The following will NOT be accepted:
- Non-Government Employment Card
- Social Insurance Number (SIN) card
- Credit/Debit Card
- Gym member Card
- Costco Card
- Air Miles Card
*Provincial or Territorial Health Card as Primary ID or Secondary ID: as permitted to be used for identification purposes under provincial law. Government-issued Health card that includes the Candidate's name, date of birth, signature, and photo will be accepted if the Candidate volunteers to submit his/her Health Card as a piece of identity and the photocopy of the Health Card number is blacked out before submitting for a criminal background check.
What is an Enhanced Criminal Check?
The Enhanced Criminal Record Check searches the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) within the National Repository of Criminal Records, including Investigative, Identification and Ancillary banks plus local police records which includes the Police Information Portal (PIP) based on the candidate’s name and date of birth. The Enhanced Check will discover any Canadian Criminal Convictions that have not been pardoned or discharged, as well as identifiers that additional information may be present related to the candidate.
The Enhanced Criminal Check identifiers may include any of the following:
- A criminal conviction for which a pardon has not been granted, and conditional and absolute discharges which have not been removed from the CPIC system.
- Probation information
- Prohibited person information
- Wanted person information
- Accused person information
- Peacebonds
- Judicial orders
- Warrants
- If relevant, Absolute and Conditional Discharges, Criminal charges that have been withdrawn, dismissed or Stayed of Proceedings.
- Any negative contact with Police
Are Vulnerable Sector Checks available in Canada?
Due to the Criminal Record Check Act in Canada vulnerable sector checks are available only to candidates directly from the RCMP or a local police station.
- People who volunteer or have jobs where they are in positions of trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons can be asked to obtain a vulnerable sector check. Accurately referred to as Vulnerable Sector Search/Check (VSS), federal policy prescribes that these checks can ONLY be initiated by the Canadian police service where the candidate lives.
If you do not require a vulnerable sector check then the Enhanced Criminal check will most likely cover what you need.
- In Canada, sexual offenses against a vulnerable person (such as a child) are no longer granted. Therefore the database is not considered active (not increasing) as no one can apply for this type of conviction pardon any longer. The law regarding record suspensions (formerly pardons) took effect March 13th, 2012, and in such pardons are no longer granted for the types of convictions that are included in the pardoned sex offender database. The one component of the VSS that we are not able to provide are the pardons that relate to sexual crimes against children.
If you require a vulnerable sector check for new candidates, we recommend that you send the candidate to the police station following an Enhanced Criminal Record Check.
For more information, see the Royal Canadian Mounted Police document: Types of criminal background checks.
Does the candidate need to verify their identity?
Yes. In Canada, identity verification must be completed for all candidates we obtain a criminal record check for. For more information on Identity Verification, refer to What identification documents are accepted for Canada Identity Verification?
*Please note: Identity verification is conducted as part of the Checkr Canada background check process but is not conducted as part of US background checks.