Documents Needed for Express Entry from China — PSB Certificate, CHSI Verification, Notary, and Apostille

The list of documents required for Express Entry looks the same for every applicant on the IRCC website. What that list doesn't tell you is that for a Chinese national, nearly every item on it requires a procurement process that is entirely different from what applicants in most other countries face.

Three systems govern your documents before they ever reach IRCC: the Public Security Bureau (PSB) for criminal clearance, CHSI (the Ministry of Education's verification center) for your degree, and the notary-apostille chain for civil documents. Getting any one of them wrong — or in the wrong sequence — can trigger rejection or costly re-submissions.

The Two-Phase Document Structure

It helps to separate Express Entry documents into two phases. The pre-profile phase covers documents needed to calculate your CRS score and create your profile. The post-ITA phase (after your Invitation to Apply) covers the full document set you upload within the 60-day window.

For Chinese applicants, the post-ITA phase is where things get complicated. The 60-day clock starts the moment IRCC issues your ITA, and PSB certificates, notarized civil records, and apostille certifications can collectively take six to eight weeks to obtain if you haven't started early. Starting them after receiving your ITA is almost always too late.

Criminal Clearance: The PSB Certificate Chain

The "No Criminal Record Certificate" (无犯罪记录证明) is mandatory for all applicants aged 18 and over who have lived in China. It is not a simple document to obtain.

Step 1: PSB issuance. The certificate must be obtained from the local Public Security Bureau station (派出所) where your Hukou (household registration) is currently registered. You need your national ID card and the original Hukou booklet. If you've lived and worked in other Chinese cities for more than six months since turning 18, some PSB stations will ask for multi-city clearances — though in practice, many notary offices can now run cross-jurisdictional verifications for Chinese citizens.

Timeline: 1 to 2 weeks.

Step 2: Notarization. The raw PSB certificate alone is not acceptable to IRCC. It must be taken to a licensed foreign-related Notary Office (公证处) to become a Notary Certificate of No Criminal Convictions. This document includes the original police certificate, a certified translation, and the notary's seal. Submitting the police station certificate without the notary wrapper is one of the most common reasons Chinese applicants receive document rejection letters.

Timeline: approximately 1 week.

Step 3: Apostille. Since China joined the Hague Apostille Convention on November 7, 2023 (effective January 11, 2024), the old multi-step consular legalization chain has been replaced. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or an authorized provincial Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) now applies a square Apostille certificate to the notarized document. This certifies the notary's signature and makes the document directly usable in Canada without further authentication.

Timeline: 3 to 7 business days.

Important: Non-Chinese citizens who lived in China on a residence permit for more than 180 cumulative days must apply at the Exit-Entry Administration Department of the PSB in the city where their permit was held. If your stay was under 180 days, the PSB will not issue a certificate — you provide an explanation letter to IRCC instead.

Educational Credentials: The CHSI-WES Pipeline

Your Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from WES requires a mandatory China-specific verification step that must be completed before WES can finalize their report.

Step 1: CHSI account setup. Create an account on the CHSI (China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center, now CSSD) platform at chsi.com.cn. Your account name must match your degree certificate exactly — including capitalization. Chinese-issued degrees often appear in ALL CAPS on digital records; entering your name in standard case will cause the system to fail to locate your record.

Step 2: Bind your degree. Use your degree certificate number to link the qualification to your account. You must bind both the Graduation Certificate (学历证书, Xueli) and the Degree Certificate (学位证书, Xuewei). Binding only one results in a partial evaluation by WES that IRCC will not accept.

Step 3: Generate the verification report. Once bound, generate the Online Verification Report of Higher Education Degree Certificate in English. The English report is required in addition to the Chinese-language version.

Step 4: Transfer to WES. Within the CHSI portal, enter your WES Reference Number to send the verified electronic report directly to WES. Do not mail physical documents unless WES specifically requests them for an older credential.

Step 5: WES processing. WES takes 20 to 35 business days to finalize the ECA once they receive the CHSI transfer.

Total timeline from starting CHSI to receiving your WES report: 7 to 10 weeks. Start this before you do anything else.

Civil Documents: Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate

Birth certificate. For applicants born after the mid-1990s, the Medical Certificate of Birth (出生医学证明) is the standard document. For older applicants, a Notarized Birth Certificate is prepared by a notary office based on Hukou records and archival data from the place of birth. Both must be notarized and apostilled before submission.

Marriage certificate. If you are married, your marriage certificate (结婚证, the red booklet issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau) must also be notarized. Do not attempt to submit the physical booklet itself — IRCC requires a Notary Certificate that confirms the marriage was registered under PRC law, with a certified English translation. This notarized certificate then requires an apostille.

Divorce or death certificates. If applicable (e.g., widowed or previously divorced), these follow the same notary-apostille chain.

Financial Documentation: Bank Statements from Chinese Banks

Chinese bank statements from ICBC, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and similar major institutions are acceptable to IRCC, provided they meet specific criteria. The statement must be on official bank letterhead, show the account number, the date the account was opened, the current balance, and — critically — the average balance for the past six months. A one-time lump-sum deposit does not substitute for this average balance requirement. Borrowed funds are ineligible.

For 2025 funds requirements (updated July 7, 2025): a single applicant needs CAD 15,263; a family of two needs CAD 19,001; a family of four needs CAD 28,362.

Work Experience Documentation

Your Reference Letters from Chinese employers must be on official company letterhead and include: your official job title, dates of employment, salary (monthly or annual), hours worked per week, and a detailed list of your main duties. The duties section is critical — IRCC assesses whether your role matches the NOC code you are claiming, using the duty descriptions in the ESDC's NOC database.

Chinese job titles often don't map neatly to NOC categories. A "产品经理" (Product Manager) who performs technical development duties may qualify under NOC 21231 (Software Engineer) or NOC 10010 (Senior Manager) depending on what the duties description actually says. The letter must describe the duties of the NOC code you're claiming, not just list your Chinese-language job title.

Language Test Results

IELTS Academic or General Training results are accepted. PTE Core is also accepted. Results must be less than two years old at the time of application. IELTS has 74 test centers across China, including all major cities. For those who have tested with CELPIP (available at select Canadian institutions), that is also accepted for the English requirement.

For French, only TEF Canada and TCF Canada scores are accepted for Express Entry. Results must also be less than two years old.

The Full Checklist at a Glance

Starting the PSB certificate and CHSI verification process months before you expect to receive an ITA is not excessive caution — it is the normal practice for Chinese applicants who understand the timelines. The 60-day ITA window is not designed to accommodate eight weeks of Chinese government processing.

For step-by-step guidance on each of these document processes, including what to do when you're no longer living in your Hukou city and how to document parental gift funds under SAFE regulations, see the China to Canada Express Entry Guide.

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