Certified Translations for Newcomers to Canada

Strict Requirements

(If, you are a native-born Canadian, obtained Canadian citizenship or have permanent status, click the tab ‘Certified Translations for Canadians & Expats’.)

Supporting Documents

Have you made the decision to move to Canada? Good. Now the real work begins. If you’re from abroad and have chosen wisely by seeking assistance from an immigration consultant, she will help you quickly identify which immigration pathways you qualify for. Once your best option becomes clear, your immigration consultant will instruct you to submit a number of documents to support your application to the Canadian agency in charge of immigration matters, Immigration, Refugee & Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The documents required will vary for each immigration program, but one rule applies universally to all immigration applications:

If your supporting documents are not in one of Canada’s two official languages (English or French), you will need to have them properly translated by a certified translator to meet IRCC’s strict requirements.

Critically Important

A certified translation of a supporting document must meet strict requirements to be accepted by IRCC:

  • The translation itself accurately conveys the meaning of the contents contained in the original document.
  • The layout of the translation is adequately reflected in the source text.
  • The certified translation consists of three contingent parts – the translator’s declaration, the translation itself and a copy of the original – plus the certified translator’s stamp, signature and initials, where appropriate.

At the risk of stating the obvious, certified translations are critically important for your immigration application. That might be problematic for individuals whose supporting documents are issued in what we would consider to be exotic languages. In those rare cases, ask us for advice. Together with you, we will determine what the best options are to meet IRCC’s minimum requirements.

For most of the world’s languages, however, the best option is to hire an applied linguist who:

  • has the requisite training and qualifications to translate your supporting documents properly the first time
  • provides a Quality Assurance clause in the translation agreement that his/her work will be done in accordance with industry standards and the relevant professional code of conduct.

The type of language professional who ideally meets these requirements is known in Canada as a ‘certified translator’.

Unblemished Track Record

Our team of certified translators specializes in translations for immigration applications. Led by our own in-house translator, we give the highest priority to translating your supporting documents properly. In fact, we translate them as if they were for our own application. And we have the track record to prove it: in over 20 years in business, not one of our certified translations has been rejected by IRCC. And we intend to keep our track record unblemished.

Ensure that your supporting documents are translated the right way – by a certified translator who cares deeply about representing your interests to IRCC. Then submit those translations with confidence. After all, making sure that your immigration application is supported by professionally produced certified translation is critical to your ability to achieve your Canadian dreams.