A CEC applicant married in India in November 2023, received a STEM-draw ITA in December while still in India, added the spouse as dependent, and submitted everything from India (AOR January 12, 2024) because the PCC couldn't be re-done within the two-week deadline after returning to Canada. The worry: would a PCC issued while they were physically in India cause problems for a file otherwise tied to Canada?
What the thread answered:
- A PCC issued in India is valid — where you were when you got it doesn't invalidate it. An inland CEC applicant shared the same pattern: visited India for two months, applied through Passport Seva Kendra, received the PCC right before the flight back, and it was accepted.
- Travel after the PCC is fine within limits. One member noted you can travel to India after obtaining the PCC, but a stay shouldn't exceed six months (after which the certificate no longer reflects your current record) — this couple's timeline was well inside that.
- Belt-and-braces option: BLS from Canada. If you want to remove all doubt, a fresh Indian PCC can be obtained from within Canada through BLS and uploaded via webform — suggested as an optional extra, not a requirement.
- Adding a spouse mid-process worked. Marrying between profile creation and ITA, then adding the spouse as a dependent at the ITA stage with documents submitted from India, drew no objections from members — the key was declaring the marriage before submission.