Fingerprinting For Canadian Federal Employment

For the Employer

Background Check Process: What’s Needed

The background check process involves a criminal record check. To complete the criminal record check, the RCMP requires digital fingerprints of any person needing clearance. There are three common circumstances in which a criminal record check may be required:

• New personnel security screening requests
• Upgrade requests (request for a higher level of personnel security clearance)
• Reactivation/renewal requests

Your Company Security Officer (CSO) will be tasked with determining whether or not an employee needs fingerprinting for their personnel security screening. Should fingerprinting be required, they’ll provide the employee with a fingerprints applicant request form.

Perform the Background Check and Fingerprinting

To perform the fingerprinting, your employee(s) will need to visit an accredited fingerprinting agency like FASTCHECK. At that time, they’ll need to present the fingerprinting agency with:

• 2 pieces of current ID (one must be a Government-issued photo ID)
• The fingerprint applicant request form (which should contain the Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) number).

If the fingerprinting request is being made for the Contract Security Program (CSP), the ORI number will be PQ80800. By providing this number, the RCMP has permission to transfer the results of the criminal record check directly to the CSP. 

Note that the RCMP waives its usual charge for criminal records when they’re being obtained for federal work. The fingerprinting agency, however, will still charge its fingerprinting fee. As such, you’ll need to ensure that the employee can pay the fingerprinting agency.  Consider taking advantage of our mobile fingerprinting services if you have multiple employees who need clearance. FASTCHECK can have all employees out working a full day by coming to Fingerprint early in the am or at the end of a day – whatever is better for the client. 

Once the fingerprinting process is complete, the employee with a Document Control Number (DCN)—this number will also be transmitted to the RCMP. Please ensure all employees keep the DCNs associated with their fingerprint based applications. 

Contact us today for fingerprinting!

For the candidate or employee

The Background Check Process

To perform the fingerprinting, your employee(s) will need to visit an accredited fingerprinting agency like FASTCHECK. At that time, they’ll need to present the fingerprinting agency with:

• 2 pieces of current ID (one must be a Government-issued photo ID)
• The fingerprint applicant request form (which should contain the Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) number).

If the fingerprinting request is being made for the Contract Security Program (CSP), the ORI number will be PQ80800. By providing this number, the RCMP has permission to transfer the results of the criminal record check directly to the CSP. 

Note that the RCMP waives its usual charge for criminal records when they’re being obtained for federal work. The fingerprinting agency, however, will still charge its fingerprinting fee. As such, you’ll need to ensure that the employee can pay the fingerprinting agency.  Consider taking advantage of our mobile fingerprinting services if you have multiple employees who need clearance. FASTCHECK can have all employees out working a full day by coming to Fingerprint early in the am or at the end of a day – whatever is better for the client. 

Once the fingerprinting process is complete, the employee with a Document Control Number (DCN)—this number will also be transmitted to the RCMP. Please ensure all employees keep the DCNs associated with their fingerprint based applications. 

Contact us today for fingerprinting!

What Are They Allowed To Check?

The purpose of the fingerprinting process is to transmit your fingerprints to the RCMP, who will use these fingerprints to check for any criminal records associated with your fingerprints. The RCMP will conduct a search of the National Repository of Criminal Records using the fingerprints you provide them with.

The results of this search will then be transmitted directly to the Contract Security Program (CSP).

What Are They Not Allowed To Check? 

The RCMP is not allowed to check for your criminal records without your permission. Additionally, the fingerprinting process cannot provide the RCMP with any information that is not contained within criminal records. As such, this fingerprinting check does not include:

• Employment history
• Credit checks
• Any information other than your criminal record

The RCMP is also barred from keeping fingerprints used for criminal record checks on file. 

Note that the information we’re providing here only pertains to the criminal record check portion of the CSP’s background checks. Other information may be requested—it will not, however, be a part of the fingerprinting process.

Fingerprint Results

Once your fingerprints are processed, the RCMP can begin with the criminal record check. The result of the check will be:

• A confirmation that no criminal record exists
• A confirmation that criminal convictions and related information were found
• A confirmation that pardoned/suspended criminal records were found (under certain specific circumstances)

Information related to criminal convictions may also be found, including:

• Discharges 
• Withdrawn/dismissed charges
• Stays of proceedings

Conclusion

By providing digital fingerprinting services that the RCMP can use to perform criminal record checks, fingerprinting agencies like FASTCHECK play a critical role in national security. Whether you’re an organization or an employee working with the government, you can rely on our fingerprinting services.