Security Clearance FAQ

Please visit the Government of Canada website for more information.
There are three levels of security screening: Reliability Status, Secret Clearance, and Top Secret Clearance. Whenever the terms “status” or “clearance” are used, they encompass both standard and enhanced screening, unless otherwise specified.
The following table describes the standard and enhanced security screening activities
*Note: Some employers have their own security clearance processes, outside of the CSIS Security Assessments (IE. RCMP, CBSA, DND)

• Obtaining your security clearance is a highly coveted credential which is valid for 5 (reliability) or 10 (secret, top secret) years
• Having security clearance can lead to being able to readily apply to a larger pool of jobs (future co-op/future careers) and improves your marketability

• No – you must first pass your security clearance before you can start working. In some cases, this might lead to a delayed start date.  If your security clearance is delayed, please contact your Co-op Student Advisor to notify them.
• Please budget accordingly in the event that your start date is delayed due to security clearance.

Yes, fingerprinting is part of the security clearance process. Please note that students will be responsible for the costs associated with obtaining fingerprints. Visit this link for more information

• The security clearance process begins once you have accepted a co-op position and therefore it is not possible to obtain clearance before you accept a co-op job offer. This is because the security clearance process requires that a candidate be sponsored by an employer.
• To help avoid any processing delays, it is imperative that you promptly respond to your employer’s request for information, submit the necessary documents, and complete the forms accurately for processing.   

Documents to prepare:  

• Passport and another piece of photo ID 
• Study permit (International Students) 
• Co-op Work Permit (International Students) 

 The following may also be requested: 

• out-of-country verifications: these are required when an applicant has lived outside of Canada continuously for 6 months or longer 
• immigration documents if the applicant was born outside of Canada 
• a security screening interview (with the applicant) to assess eligibility for a security clearance 

Examples of Security Clearance Forms: 

330-61 for security screening application and consent form 

330-23 for personnel screening (basic or enhanced reliability) 

330-60 for security clearance 

For security screening to be meaningful and accurate, individuals must have lived in Canada for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate inquiries, verifications and assessments to be conducted. Although a lack of sufficient Canadian residency in and of itself is not necessarily a barrier to the granting of a security status or clearance, decision makers will need to consider what checks can be carried out and the information available upon which to make a decision. Depending on the status or clearance required, this may range from 5 to 10 years.

Individuals who have lived outside of Canada for longer than six months in a row within the time period required by the security status or clearance will be required to account for their activities during that time, unless the time spent abroad was related to their employment or assignment with a Government of Canada department or agency or with the Canadian Armed Forces. Such accounting could include the following:

1. Letters of reference or referral from foreign embassies and missions in Canada;
2. Canadian embassies or missions in the country in which the individual resided;
3. Information from counterpart security screening organizations in countries with which Canada has entered into bilateral arrangements for the exchange of security screening information;
4. Letters or police clearance certificates from law enforcement agencies in the country in which the individual resided; and
5. Credit summaries from established foreign financial institutions or letters of reference from foreign educational institutions or universities.

Activities accounted for in these ways will be assessed in consideration of the adequacy and reliability of the originating country’s record-keeping systems.

Police clearance certificates are different in each country and may also be known by other names, including good conduct certificates and judicial record extracts. The certificates should provide a summary of an individual’s criminal record or a declaration of the absence of any criminal record.

If an individual has resided, or currently resides, outside of Canada, information on how to obtain a police clearance certificate can be found on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s web site.

If an individual has resided, or currently resides, in the United States, the individual may be required to obtain a police clearance certificate from the state police.

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