Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JasonC]

Believe it or not, more changes!

Just heard from one of our clients doing their check in Vancouver and I was surprised when she told me that the consulate said she didn't need to get it notarized by a notary public or lawyer first, just via the consulate.

Since they usually notarize a copy of something, it was strange for the notary publics to notarize an original...doesn't make much sense.

And....no VSS for Vancouver! (BC, AB, SK, Yukon, NT)

I called and confirmed via telephone. They made the change yesterday after having called and spoken with a bunch of police agencies etc...

So, for Vancouver, it's best if the police check is sealed in an envelope from the police department...then they can process it right away. If not sealed, they require the contact info for the police department that issued it and it can take a bit longer to verify.

I asked if they knew about Toronto and Montreal, but she wasn't sure if they were making changes or not. Hope so! I will check with them (and hassle them to make changes!)

Jason
http://www.asknow.ca

Vancouver Consulate site:

http://can-vancouver.mofat.go.kr/eng/am/can-vancouver/visiting/criminal/index.jsp

[R. S. Refugee]

That's incredible news! No VSS required. Wow.

Uh, by the way, what is a VSS?

[JasonC]

VSS= Vulnerable Sector Search, which is an upgraded version of the criminal background search for Canadians. The main annoyance with this was that police agencies required an original signature from the hiring agency in order to issue it. Thus, either the recruiter or school had to apply to be a hiring agency and then sign an original form to get the VSS done.

Note: Only Vancouver has eliminated this thus far...Toronto and Montreal still require it as of January 23rd, 2008. So, if you live in Manitoba or anywhere east of there, you still need the VSS and notary public, until further updated.

Jason
http://www.asknow.ca

[polonius]

I can only hope that Toronto falls in line. I have written many an email to them and the MOJ expressing the difficulty in obtain the VSS. I spoke with some woman, whom I believe was the one responsible for the VSS at the Korean embassy in Toronto. What a twit. (As I mentioned before in another post, she said it was necessary for teachers to return to Canada after each year to renew their Visa, even though I had done it 6 times.)

Keep us posted, as I still need to hire a teacher for my campus, and would be able to make an offer if it weren't for this damn regulations.

[lookingforworkinasia]

I'm going through the Montreal consulate, and I have no idea whether or not I have to get anything notarized (by the consulate or a notary public). I have already sent in my CBC, and a week later I heard back saying it was rejected because there was no VSS.

Then, after I sent back an e-mail saying that it should be on the reverse side of the CBC, they replied that they found it and it was fine.

So the last I heard, my CBC is good to go without needing a notary or anything. I asked both the consulate and the agency I got my CBC from and they both didn't know whether I needed to get it notarized or not. We'll see if that changes again.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[CP]

this is a big deal. VSS is not hard to get. I had my criminal check done in December in Calgary. It included a VSS - had it sent to Vancouver and it was notorized no problem. I think I was the first to have had this done in Vancouver as it was just a week or so after the new visa rules went through.

[littlemisssmiles]

[lookingforworkinasia]

[quote="littlemisssmiles"][quote="CP"]VSS is not hard to get. I had my criminal check done in December in Calgary. It included a VSS[/quote]

It's fortunate that you were so lucky, but not all cities/municipalities will do this. Please do not generalize for everyone - you do not have all the information.[/quote]

Yeah. I know its a real pain to get the VSS from the OPP in Ontario.

[darkpoet]

...ummm according to the Montreal Embassy site (last checked a week ago)... only provincial police Criminal Record Checks will be accepted (OPP, QPP, and RCMP)...

[lookingforworkinasia]

Trust me darkpoet, I know what the website says. That's why I went in to the consulate in person and asked, and then went back on a different day and asked again.

I'm not saying I'm 100% sure this is correct, but I got the information from a reputable source (the consulate). If other Quebec residents wish to go another route to get their CBC's, they're more than welcome to try. Its not offered by the provincial police force here (according to my research, verified by the consulate) or the Montreal Metro Police (according to my research, verified by the consulate).

You should keep in mind that the information provided on the Montreal Consulate's website is intended for all eastern provinces, not just Quebec. Therefore, I'm guessing they simply copied the very general directives provided to them by Korean Immigration without interpreting how they'll apply to people in different regions.

I could be wrong though. Based on the posts on this site, nobody (teachers, immigration, schools, consular officials) really knows whats going on, so I'm not going to be surprised if my information turns out to be incorrect.

[JasonC]

I think in the case of the post by "lookingforworinasia" he/she got lucky that the person doing the verification didn't really know what they were looking for.

The same thing happened for another one of our clients. She sent in her check without the VSS and they stamped it and sent it back to her. Then, she got a call saying that they made a mistake and she would need to send in one with the VSS. But, by that time, her docs were on the way to Korea, and since Immigration in Korea doesn't require the VSS, no problem.

Another interesting note...she had her interview with the consulate in Montreal via webcam. That's good news for east-coasters but I don't know if Toronto and Vancover will be doing the same.

Edit: By the way, all criminal checks in Canada go through the same database, CPIC. http://www.cpic-cipc.ca/

Jason
http://www.asknow.ca

[lookingforworkinasia]

Jason C

I did have a VSS on mine, they just had trouble finding it.

Basically, the point I was trying to make is that I did everything the consulate instructed me to do, even though it sounds odd compared to some of the things other people are doing. If I did anything wrong, it was because I was given incorrect instructions by the Korean consulate.

[JasonC]

Yeah, unfortunately the consulates don't know much of what is going on either. But, correct me if I'm wrong, you didn't get your check notarized by a notary public or lawyer, did you? As per their site and current policy, it should have been...so, that's the part I figured you managed to slip by with.

[pandemic902]

If you're in Korea and have your CRC sent here to be stampt and notarized by the Canadian Embassy, do we need this VSS nonsense?