IRCC Translation Policy

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Great news! There has been an important change to the IRCC’s (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) policy on accepting translations.

The IRCC Translation policy is summarized in the IRRC webpage accessible at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/refugee-protection/removal-risk-assessment/translation.html#s2

In particular, two requirements are now clearly specified:

The translation must be done by a Certified Translator, or it will not be accepted.
A Certified Translator is a translator who is a full member in good standing of one of the provincial professional translation associations in Canada or officially accredited abroad.

This is important because many newcomers do not fully understand the difference between certified and non-certified translators, and often end up making the wrong choice!

Here are some excerpts of some important points from the IRCC Translation Policy (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) website page ( Translation of supporting documents for applications – Canada.ca)

About the Translations

In all situations, supporting documents that are in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by an official translation of the original document, or of a certified copy of the original document in English or French. That translation must be

· of the original document, or

· of the certified copy of the original document, and

certified by a Certified Translator, or in the event that the translation cannot be provided by a Certified translator, it must be accompanied by an affidavit, and included with the application. (This would be in the case of a rare language for which there are no Certified Translators in Canada).

Documents that are already in English or French do not have to be translated, even if the application is in the other official language. For example, an application completed in French may be accompanied by an English document. A translation of the English document is not required.

Determining if a Translator is Certified

Documents that are not in English or French must be translated by a Certified Translator.

A Certified Translator is a member in good standing whose certification can be confirmed by a seal or stamp that shows the translator’s membership number of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad. All stamps and seals that are not in English or French must also be translated.

Note: A translator who has not yet received certification or accreditation, but is in the process of receiving it, is not considered a certified translator for IRCC’s purposes.

If the Translation is Done in Canada:

Applicants should use the services of a Certified Translator who is in good standing with their provincial or territorial organization and certified to translate documents.

If the Translation is Done Outside of Canada:

Applicants should use the services of a translator who is accredited (officially recognized or authorized) in the country where the translation is being completed.

For all applicants (in or outside of Canada): translations must not be done by:

· members of the applicant’s family
· the applicants themselves
· the applicant’s representatives or consultants

Any family member of the applicant who may be a lawyer, notary or translator is also not permitted to translate documents. This includes a parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew and first cousin.

Should the accuracy of the translation appear suspect, IRCC reserves the right to request a retranslation by a different translator. IRCC is not responsible for any translation fees.

Submitted Applications Without Translations

Applicants who submit required and/or requested documents without accompanying translations will have their application returned as incomplete.

Right to ask for a New Translation

Should the accuracy of the translation appear suspect, IRCC officers retain the right to request a retranslation by a different certified translator at any time.

Expiry of Translated Documents

We get asked this question a lot!

A translation cannot change over time and should be valid indefinitely unless the original document has changed or has expired. If the signature of a certified translator or notary has expired, it does not invalidate the translation. As long as the translator’s certification was valid at the time of signature, the translation remains valid.

The only time the translation would expire and a new translation would be required is if the original document has expired or has changed and the applicant submits a new document.

By the way…

Loretta Murphy adheres to the IRCC Translation Policy. She is a full member in good standing of the following four provincial professional translation associations in Canada:

ATIO – Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario ( ATIO | We stand by our words.)

ATIA – Association of Translators and Interpreters of Alberta (ATIA)

STIBC – Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia (stibc.org)

OTTIAQ – Ordre des traducteurs terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec ( OTTIAQ)

Loretta Murphy’s translations are ministry-approved and certified! She provides Certified Translation services from Spanish and Portuguese to English to clients in Ontario and throughout Canada. To request a quote, go to: Translation Quote – Loretta Murphy Certified Translations (lorettamurphytranslations.com)

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