An applicant accidentally submitted an expired police certificate from Japan (where they had lived for six months); IRCC responded with a 60-day request for a new one — but Japanese PCCs take about two months to issue. The thread's advice:
- Know when an old PCC is still acceptable. Members noted that if you haven't returned to the issuing country since the certificate was issued, IRCC often accepts it even past its printed date. But once IRCC has explicitly requested a new one, that argument is weaker.
- Apply for the new certificate immediately. Since issuance takes roughly the same time as the deadline, start the PCC application the same day — it may still land within the 60-day window.
- Call IRCC to clarify. A member suggested phoning IRCC to explain the timing conflict and confirm what they'll accept.
- If it won't arrive in time, upload proof of the application plus a letter of explanation. Submitting the PCC application receipt with an explanation letter before the deadline shows compliance effort while the certificate is in transit — the approach members recommended rather than silently missing the deadline.