r/canadaguns • u/yeezyXgym • Apr 03 '26

Application / Regulation advice Permanent Resident (UK to Canada)

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are planning to apply for our PAL. She’s Canadian and I’m British with a PR status, moved to Canada in October 2024 (expat).

I understand that since I’ve lived in Canada for less than 5 years, I’ll likely need to provide a UK police certificate (ACRO).

A few questions for anyone who’s gone through this as a PR:

Has anyone applied as a PR with less than 5 years residency?

Did RCMP require a recent ACRO or accept older ones (mines dated 2024)?

Anything specific with references/background checks as a newcomer?

Thanks in advance and thanks for the guidance🙌

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u/mew-pew-pew Apr 04 '26

You may need to provide a police certificate, but it doesn't have to necessarily be recent, as long as it is issued after the end of your residency in the previous country. Essentially, they're checking to ensure your prior record before coming to Canada is clean. Anything issued after you became a Canadian resident will confirm that.

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u/yeezyXgym Apr 04 '26

Thank you, when I give CFP a call on Tuesday I’ll double check and then go ahead from there, I appreciate you taking the time to share this :)