• Text size  | | |
• Email this document
• Printable version

Canada and Mexico: Way in which the RCMP checks criminal records of claimants from Mexico; whether the criminal record includes all convictions a claimant has received at both the federal and state level (2002-May 2005)

In a telephone interview, an officer of the Immigration and Passports Branch at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) indicated that the RCMP does take fingerprints and pictures of every refugee claimant on behalf of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) (9 May 2005).

Foreign exchange of information, verification of fingerprints or criminal records searches are only done at the request of CIC (usually by fax) (RCMP 9 May 2005).

For Mexico, the RCMP sends a request to Interpol Mexico and, depending on the information provided, the criminal record check would be more or less extensive. Usually a basic request (with less biographical information for instance) generates a federal criminal record only (ibid.).

The officer was unable to indicate whether a criminal record check performed by Interpol Mexico would necessarily include all convictions.

The RCMP Website indicates that the Immigration and Passport Branch is made up of two sections, the Immigration Operations Section and the Refugee Identification Section (27 Jan. 2005). The later "is responsible for the national program of criminal identification screening investigations of persons entering Canada and making Convention refugee claims" (RCMP 27 Jan. 2005).

The RCMP database stores 250,000 "classified Convention refugee fingerprints... until the Convention refugee claimants receive Canadian citizenship" (ibid.).

The RCMP Website also mentions that, when requested by a Canada Immigration Centre, the Refugee Identification Section conducts "foreign fingerprint exchanges through the Interpol Network ... to determine known foreign criminal history and verify identity" (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

RCMP. 9 May 2005. Telephone interview with an officer from the Immigration and Passport Branch.
_____. 27 January 2005. Immigration and Passport Branch. <http://www.rcmp.ca/html/imm_e.htm> [Accessed 12 May 2005]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Citizenship and Immigration Canada.