Apply for a security screening

On this page

• Reliability status
• Secret security clearance
• Residency and travel outside of Canada

Reliability status

In completing your reliability status, you will be asked to provide:

• the name and email of the hiring manager who initiated this request
• your first, last and commonly used names, and your name at birth
• your birthplace, and if applicable, the date you entered Canada
• your date of birth and gender
• your current contact information (email, telephone, mailing address)
• whether you've completed a previous Government of Canada security screening and if so, the employer, level and year
• your mailing addresses for the past 5 years, with no gaps in “from” and “to” dates, as in:
  • residence 1: 2020-07-20 to 2018-02-03
  • residence 2: 2018-02-03 to 2015-06-30
• details of any criminal convictions inside or outside Canada for which you have not received a pardon
• information on your residency or travel outside of Canada, if applicable

Secret security clearance

You will be asked to provide all the information listed under reliability status, as well as:

• your mailing addresses for the past 10 years, with no gaps in “from” and “to” dates, as in:
  • residence 1: 2020-07-20 to 2018-02-03
  • residence 2: 2018-02-03 to 2015-06-30
• your marital status and the names of any spouses or common-law partners you had in the last 5 years
  • if anyone is deceased, you will also need their date of death and last known address
• the full names of your immediate relatives, including:
  • parents (include “half” or “step” parents)
  • parents-in-law (your current spouse's or common-law partner's father and mother, including “half” or “step” parent-in-laws)
  • children (include all children 18 years or over, including “step” children)
  • siblings (include “half” or “step” siblings)
• information on your citizenship status, which may include:
  • certificate number and date of issue, if you are a naturalized Canadian
  • date of entry in Canada, if you are a landed immigrant
  • date you applied for citizenship, if you are not a Canadian citizen
• your employment and school history for the past 10 years, with no gaps in “from” and “to” dates, including:
  • contact information for past employers
  • mailing address and name of any schools you attended
  • your home address during any time you were unemployed
• information on your residency or travel outside of Canada, if applicable

Residency and travel outside of Canada

It may take longer to obtain a reliability and a secret security clearance if you spent significant time outside of Canada.

As part of your application, we will ask if you lived or travelled outside of Canada:

• for 6 consecutive months during the last 5 years – reliability status
• for 6 consecutive months during the last 10 years – secret security clearance

If you answer “yes,” you will be redirected to a questionnaire that asks for information on:

• the place(s) you lived or visited, with mailing address(es)
• the period(s) of time you spent abroad, with “from” and “to” dates
• the reasons for your residency and/or travel
• names and citizenship of people you stayed or travelled with
• your activities abroad, including work or school

If you were away from Canada working for the Government of Canada or with the Canadian Armed Forces, you may not need to account for your activities.

Documents to help you provide details of your activities include:

• letters of reference or referral from foreign embassies and missions in Canada
• letters of reference or referral from Canadian embassies or missions in the country in which you lived while abroad
• letters or police clearance certificates from law enforcement agencies in the country/countries in which you lived while abroad
• credit summaries from established foreign financial institutions
• letters of reference from foreign educational institutions/universities