Canada needs better security checks for international students, critics say

International students are not required to get police certificates from law enforcement in their home countries before coming to Canada — something critics say needs to change.

People applying for permanent residency, citizenship or International Experience Canada (commonly known as the working holiday visa) are required to produce such police certificates, which give Canadian officials early warning of an applicant's possible criminal history in their country of origin.

But Canadian visa officers don't necessarily have access to police-drafted documents when deciding whether to admit an international student.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CBC News that all officials screen «applications from all over the world for inadmissibility in order to maintain the security of Canadians.»

Immigration officials work with law enforcement partners like the RCMP to «carry out a comprehensive security screening to help identify those who might pose a threat to Canadians,» the spokesperson said.

That screening process «may» involve a criminal history check, or require students to submit biometrics like fingerprints and photos, the spokesperson added.

That's not enough, said P.E.I. Sen. Percy Downe, who previously served as chief of staff to former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien.

He's become an advocate for more stringent security checks since an international student working at an office supply store in Charlottetown sexually assaulted a local woman.

Downe maintains that all international students should be required to provide a police certificate so Canada can avoid inadvertently admitting someone with a criminal past.

Officials shouldn't simply request police certificates on a «case-by-case»