Canada – Document Authentication

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For the full list of Work Permit documents needed please visit here.

Authenticating Documents For Canadian Teachers:

The end result is to have a police check and your university diploma authenticated by the Chinese Embassy/visa processing centre (these two main documents are needed when we apply for your work permit).

Examples of the two documents needed:

The first two pages should look something like these examples once they are notarized, authenticated by the province and authenticated by the Chinese Embassy

Example Page1:

Example Page2:

Police Check after processing (this would the third page in the set once you are finished):

Example1:

Example2:

Example3-Page1:

Example3-Page2:

Diploma after processing:

Example (Note: first you make a copy and they notarize a copy and do not stamp the original diploma)(This would be the 3rd page in the set when you are finished)

Document Authentication in Canada

What you need to have in the end is the 2 documents (3 if you have your TEFL ready) by the Chinese Visa Processing Centre. (They will only authenticate documents that have already been authenticated by the province, and the province needs documents to be notarized before they will authenticate them (basically by any lawyer with a notary stamp or a local notary service)

When you get your documents first notarized locally, make copies of the documents. They can notarize the police check directly but generally they do not notarize right on your diploma and will charge you extra if they need to make a photocopy for you.

Once you have your documents authenticated by the province, you will need to find and go to the closest Chinese Visa Processing Centre: http://www.visaforchina.org 

(The Chinese Embassy outsources these tasks to this Chinese visa office.)

Here is the application form partially filled in for authentication at the Chinese visa office. Please remember to download (not try to edit as it is a template for all to use) the following document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U1K1vjiAM6wNkky9sROZrGuvTXx9ovQW/view?usp=sharing

Please note: 

For “Employer”, the information is filled in for MEF.

In case they do ask for the phone number for MEF it is: 

(852) 3008 8336 (Hong Kong) or

(86) 2180365438 (Mainland China)

Area 2, Area 7 and Area 8: Leave blank unless you are going through a service to get the document authenticated.

If you are going through the service that does the authentication process for you, they will tell you what to write and ask you to sign Area 8, but those areas are only for when a company/service is getting the authentication for you and not for when you are getting the documents authenticated yourself.

For #4 “Destination of legalization”, it is fine to just put “Shanghai, China” or change to the city that you are expecting to go.  The actually city can change and will not matter for the visa.

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Police check and Diploma authentication information for Canada

Original notes from Jasmine.

       Police check: The best option is a document called “Canadian Police Certificate For Visa Applicants/Foreign travel/foreign work permits”. Visit your local police station and ask, it shouldn’t take more than ten minutes providing you have all your information on hand (valid driver’s license/government photo ID, and also your SIN card just to be sure).

       Degree: As far as I know, you can get a lawyer, judge, or commissioner of oaths to notarize your degree and the aforementioned police check. The third option might be your best bet, as you can usually find one at your local town council office. Make sure the copy of your degree that is notarized is a color copy, with not only the commissioner of oath’s stamp, but the town seal as well.

There is an Embassy in Ottawa, and 4 consulates-general in the following cities: Vancouver, BC; Calgary, AB; Toronto, ON; Montreal, QC.

       Since the Chinese embassy does not accept documents by mail to be notarized, if you are not close enough to a Chinese embassy/consulate, you may want to go through a courier service located in Ottawa (where our Chinese embassy is located). You simply mail the courier service the physical documents you need notarized (again, color copies when necessary, and you will be charged according to how many documents need to be notarized, as well as a service fee. The service I used was Legalization Service Center; it also helps if you actually call the company directly and speak with someone personally (a very helpful office manager named Andy made the process easier).

       It took about a week for my documents to go to Ottawa and back, but this is factoring in the July 1^st holiday (which caused a slight delay) and that I sent it via express mail (which may have cancelled out that delay in the end). There is a link to the form you can print out on the above website, but I will link it directly here.

       When you receive your notarized documents in the mail, it’s fairly easy to scan everything and send those digital copies via e-mail to your MEF representative.

Notes from/for Toronto (Ontario teachers)

Emily: Any advice you have on the next steps for the Chinese Embassy would be greatly appreciated?

Erin: Hi Emily! After you have your documents notarized, then also have to be authenticated by Canadian Foreign Affairs. There’s an office in Toronto, and you can walk in and it only took me about 20 minutes to have this step done.

Emily: Fantastic! At what point do I go to the Chinese Embassy and with what in my hands?

Erin: After that you can take them to the Chinese consulate. It takes about 4 business days, but you can also pay for rush service if you need them sooner.

No appointment needed, but the ‘drop off’ hours are only in the morning, and pick-up hours are in the afternoon.

You need to have a completed application form, which you can find on the consulate website or just fill it out at the consulate.

Your passport, and a photocopy

And a copy of every page of authenticated document. There is a photocopier at the consulate, but it’s always busy. After I went to the foreign affairs office, I just stopped at a Staples and copied everything so I could do it all same-day

http://toronto.china-consulate.org/eng/vp/na/t946459.htm

That’s all the info, plus there’s a link to the application for if you want to print it out ahead of time

Emily: So the Jarvis office is the Chinese Embassy, do you know off hand where the Foreign Affairs Office is for that first step? I’m having trouble finding it online

Oh, wait. Jarvis is the Ministry of Government Services. Nevermind! I think I’ve got it straight now.

Erin: Yeah, looks like it’s called ‘Official Document Services” on Google maps

And the consulate is on George St.

Emily: On St. George?

I’ve got the right places then. Thank you so much, very helpful

….

Emily: Alright so the consulate will have my authenticated stuff ready by Tuesday. What’s my next step?

Erin: If I remember correctly, once you have that you scan all your documents and send them to Derek so that he can get your work permit started. Then it’s just a waiting game until that comes in.

Emily: Gotcha! That’s what I thought. Thanks!

Erin: No problem. Once you have the work permit, getting the actually Visa is easy. You just have to make an appointment, drop off your documents, then pick it up a few days later

……

Emily: Hey so i just left the visa processing centre and realized that my pick up slip says it’s a Z-Visa for 3 months and 1 entry. I should have checked before I left but it all happened so fast. Is this right? Do I have this for now and then when I get over there I get the longer one?

Erin: Yes, that is normal. They update your visa in China within your first month there.

Once you get to China, they get you your residence permit and then you get an updated visa in your passport.

Canada – Alberta:

First the documents need to be notarized (any lawyer). For certificates, it is usually a copy that they notarize and not the original document. For the police check it can be on the document or of the copy.

Any lawyer/notary (all lawyers are notaries in Alberta) is fine. This should not cost more than $20 or $30.

Next you need to get it authenticated by the province before it can be authenticated by the embassy.

https://eservices.alberta.ca/certificates-of-authentication.html

This seems to only be available in Edmonton.  In person, it takes like 15 minutes and costs $10 a document.

Deputy Provincial Secretary’ Office

Room 111, 9833-109 St. Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2E8

Tel: 780-4275069, 3100000, 3104455

Once that is done, then you need to go to the following place as the embassy outsources the Chinese Authentication to the visa office in Calgary.

Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Calgary
Tel: 403-930-2288 EXT 0
Email: chinesevisacalgary@gmail.com
website: http://www.visaforchina.org
Office Address: Suite 200, 855-8th Ave, SW
Calgary, AB T2P 3P1

I think they charge $68 per document and it takes around 3 days.