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IRCC accepts a translation from a certified translator, or from any professional translator backed by a sworn affidavit. Here is the rule in IRCC’s own words, the two accepted routes, what goes into your upload, who is barred from translating, and the six mistakes that get files returned.
There is a particular kind of email that arrives about six weeks after an application goes in. It says the file is incomplete. Somewhere in the attachments is a translation that was perfectly accurate and still did not count, because the officer could not find the one thing IRCC insists on: someone, other than the applicant, formally standing behind it. The applicant then pays for the translation again, this time correctly, and starts the clock over.
It is an easy mistake because IRCC’s rule is short and its implications are not. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada processes files in English and French only. Every document in another language must be accompanied by a translation, and that translation has to come from one of two sources: a translator who is certified (a member in good standing of a professional translation association, with a seal showing their membership number), or any other professional translator whose translation is backed by a sworn affidavit. IRCC’s instructions present the affidavit as the route for translations not done by a certified translator; it is the route we provide. What IRCC does not accept is a translation done by you, your family or your representative, or one with no certification and no affidavit behind it.
This guide lays out the rule in IRCC’s own words, the two accepted routes, what exactly goes into your upload, who is barred from translating, and the six mistakes that most often produce that email.
IRCC asks for a certified translator first and, where the translation is not done by one, accepts it with the translator’s sworn affidavit. Either way the accuracy of the translation is formally vouched for – by a professional body’s seal, or by an oath sworn before an official.
The translation is done by a member in good standing of a professional translation association (in Canada, a provincial or territorial body such as ATIO, OTTIAQ or STIBC; abroad, an equivalent association). Their stamp shows a membership number. No affidavit is needed. Note that a translator who is still in the process of becoming certified does not count.
The translation is done by a qualified professional translator who then swears an affidavit – a short sworn statement that the translation is a true and accurate version of the original – before a notary public or commissioner of oaths. IRCC accepts this route from any translator, and it is the route we use: every IRCC order includes a complete certified translation, a signed Certificate of Accuracy and, with the affidavit add-on, the sworn affidavit.
IRCC specifies who can administer the oath. Inside Canada it is a notary public, a commissioner of oaths or a commissioner of taking affidavits. Outside Canada it is a notary public or the local equivalent. In IRCC’s words, the translator swears the affidavit “in front of a commissioner authorized to administer oaths in the country where they live.” That is why an affidavit sworn before a notary in the translator’s own country is valid for a Canadian application – the requirement attaches to where the translator lives, not to where you live.
For each foreign-language document, IRCC expects three things. In an online application (Express Entry, the IRCC Portal, a study or work permit account) they are combined into a single PDF upload for that document. In a paper application they are stapled together behind the checklist.
Every word on the document, including stamps, seals, handwritten notes and the text on the back. A summary, an extract or a translation of “the important parts” is not accepted.
The sworn statement of accuracy, signed by the translator and by the notary or commissioner who administered the oath, with the date and the official’s seal. A certified translator’s stamped certification replaces it.
A clear, complete scan or certified photocopy of the original document, so the officer can compare it against the translation. Cropped or partly legible copies are a common reason for a request to resubmit.
The rule exists to keep the translator independent of the outcome. IRCC rejects a translation produced by anyone with a stake in the application, and by anyone who cannot formally vouch for it.
Even if you are fluent in both languages, you cannot translate your own documents. The same applies to a co-applicant or a sponsored family member translating for the sponsor.
Spouses, parents, children and siblings are all excluded, whatever their qualifications. A translator relative can still be a professional translator for other people, just not for your file.
IRCC names this group explicitly: a lawyer, notary, immigration consultant or translator who is acting as your representative may not also translate your documents. Their firm can arrange an independent translation, but the representative cannot do it.
A translation from an agency, a friend, or an app with neither a certified translator’s seal nor a sworn affidavit does not meet the standard, regardless of quality. Machine translation output is in this category too.
The translation rule is the same in every IRCC stream; only the documents differ. The most common ones by application type:
Diplomas and transcripts (also needed for the WES or other ECA), employment reference letters, police certificates from every country lived in for 6+ months, birth certificates, marriage or divorce certificates, and proof of funds such as bank statements.
Marriage certificate, birth certificates of the sponsored spouse and any dependent children, divorce or death certificates from prior marriages, and relationship evidence such as chat logs, letters and photos with captions.
Diplomas, transcripts and enrolment letters from previous studies, bank statements or a sponsor’s financial documents as proof of funds, and a birth certificate for a minor applicant or a custodian declaration.
Employment records and reference letters, diplomas and professional licences, and civil documents for accompanying family members.
Any civil document not in English or French that supports identity, name changes or residence, such as a foreign birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a name-change decree.
Identity documents, police or court records, medical reports and personal statements. If your case goes to the Immigration and Refugee Board, its rules are different: each division asks for a translation with a declaration signed by the translator giving the translator’s name, the language (and dialect, except at the Immigration Division) and a statement that the translation is accurate.
Most translation-related returns are not about the quality of the translation. They are about the package around it.
Translating the front of a two-sided certificate, leaving out the registrar’s stamp, or skipping a “not relevant” annotation. IRCC wants a complete translation; an officer who sees untranslated text on the original will send it back.
A translator’s signed certificate of accuracy is not an affidavit. The affidavit must be sworn before a notary or commissioner, and their signature and seal must appear on it. Ours includes both.
Transliterated names must follow the spelling in your passport, not the translator’s preference. Tell your translator the passport spelling of every person named in the document.
The translator works from what they can read, and so does the officer. A dark phone photo of a laminated certificate produces a translation with “[illegible]” entries and an original the officer cannot verify. Scan flat, in good light, edge to edge.
Either English or French is accepted anywhere in Canada, including in Quebec-processed files. You do not need both. Pick the language of the rest of your application.
Not a translation error, but a common pairing: a police certificate translated perfectly and then submitted after its validity window. Order the certificate, then the translation, then submit promptly.
The certified translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy is the base product and is accepted on its own by universities, WES, employers and most provincial bodies. For an IRCC application, add the sworn affidavit.
All prices are in Canadian dollars. Hard copies can be added at checkout and ship with tracking; IRCC accepts the digital PDF for online applications.
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