Is a third-party Canadian criminal record check OK for UK visa applications?

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Accepted answer

For visas, as per the RCMP, you need a certified (fingerprinted) record for any type of visa

Inform the local police agency or accredited fingerprinting company of the reason for the certified criminal record check. It can include:
[...]
Foreign travel – Visas, U.S. Waivers, Border Crossing [...]

This is further proven by per UKVI guidances :

You must provide:

  • a full electronic set of fingerprints on form C-216C

Because :

When name-based criminal record checks do not provide a definite way of confirming a person's identity, you may be asked to provide fingerprints. This is known as a "certified criminal record check."

Third-parties companies can't do such checks alone :

Companies that perform name-based checks

So you must follow the procedure with Police services, which can send you getting fingerprinted at an accredited company, but this fingerprinting company is not doing your check themselves

For the processing time, it is stated an approximate (enphasis mine):

there is NO match to a criminal record
3 business days or less
The results are mailed to the address provided and extra time should be allowed for delivery by Canada Post.

If manual processing is involved and/or if there is a possible match to a criminal record
120 business days
In some cases more time may be required due to the submission of incomplete information or in an effort to clarify parts of the application with local police. This process ensures the information that is released by CCRTIS is complete and accurate.

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