Criminal Clearances (Arrest Records)

You are required to submit a "no arrest" certification from law enforcement agencies in any country you have lived in for more than six months since turning 18 years of age.  To request an FBI clearance, all you need are these four things.  Send to the FBI:

1.	Ink fingerprints on FBI card which will be provided by the       fingerprinting agency.  If you are getting prints outside the US, download and print the FBI card.  (Note: some agencies within Canada will not use the FBI pre-printed card, and will instead use an RCMP fingerprint sheet.  These are accepted by the FBI.)
2.	US money order payable to US Treasury for $18
3.	"Authorization to Release Information", which can be found by scrolling to "Appendix A" in the pdf menu
4.	The FBI Cover Letter

Note: You can try to expedite processing of your request by using the FBI cover letter and including a due date, and "Canadian Immigration" as the reason, in the section for expediting requests.  Also, BE SURE to write the same information (Date Requested By and "Canadian Immigration") on the OUTSIDE of your mailing envelope.  The FBI will not guarantee that they can always expedite requests. 
Normal processing times for receipt is 12-16 weeks.

State Clearances: "If you have lived in the United States, you may be requested to provide a State Certificate in addition to the national FBI certificate."  Each US State agency has different requirements and instructions for obtaining certification of no arrest.  Information is usually able to be obtained by doing a Google search for your State, using the keywords "arrest record", "fingerprint clearance".