Chinese Immigration Certificates and Forms

The C.I.4 was an identifying document, issued to indicate Chinese immigrants at all Customs ports. The form described an individual (with name, photo, physical description, and other data). It also declared an immigrant's intention to remain in Canada, his destination, and whether or not he was liable to pay head tax. C.I.5 certificates were issued based on C.I.4 certificates. The C.I.4 was in use from 1885-1949.

FINDING THE RECORDS

There are no collections of C.I.4 certificates. Individual Chinese immigration case files held by Library and Archives Canada contain some examples. However, access to these files is restricted by law. For more details see the full archival record description of the Chinese immigration case files on the Library and Archives Canada website.

The head tax was introduced in 1885, as a means of controlling Chinese immigration. Immigrants paying the head tax were issued with a receipt by immigration officials, also known as a C.I.5 certificate. The C.I.5 certified that the head tax had been paid and the C.I.4 form completed. The form was in use from 1885-1949. At least four slightly different versions were issued.

The C.I.5 certificate initially did not include a photograph. Later, it was felt to be inadequate for identification purposes, and was re-drafted in 1912. When deemed necessary, people with pre-1912 head tax certificates that did not have photographs were issued with a substitute C.I.36 certificate.

Families that have retained copies of head tax certificates issued to their immigrant ancestors will find it a very useful link to Immigration Records.

Front

The following transcription represents information found on head tax certificates, based on a 1919 example:

Back

In 1923, after passage of the Chinese Immigration Act, C.I.5 certificates were stamped on the back in accordance with Section 18, which required the registration of all Chinese people living in Canada.

FINDING THE RECORDS

C.I.5 certificates were issued to individuals, and have often remained in the possession of families. Examples may be found in archival repositories.

At Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collections include 18 examples of C.I.5 certificates. Information about all 18 examples is found in LAC's onlineSample Chinese immigration certificates.

The following fourteen C.I.5 certificates have been microfilmed:

Image copies of the above certificates can be seen on the first part of Library and Archives Canada microfilm reel C-13421, together with examples of other Chinese immigration certificates. Two immigration certificates are available digitally through Library and Archives Canada's Sample Chinese immigration certificates record. One is the C.I.5 certificate for Lee Shing Dok. The other is a C.I.28 certificate.

The following two C.I.5 certificates have not been microfilmed:

Additional information is provided in the archival descriptions of the record collections in which these two head tax certificates are found:

Certificate of payment of head tax (Kwok Chee Mark)

Sam family fonds (Chong Do Dang)

Copies of these two certificates can be ordered from Library and Archives Canada. See Consult LAC material for more information.

Related records include:

• General Registers of Chinese Immigration
• C.I.28 Register
• C.I.36 Register
• List of Persons to Whom C.I.9 Certificates Have Been Issued in Vancouver and Victoria
• List of Persons Readmitted to Canada at Victoria Under C.I.9 / 9A Certificates and Other Readmissions and Cancellations
• Register of Chinese Immigration - Port of New Westminster

All of the above records document C.I.5 numbers.

Online

Search for one of the 97,123 Chinese who were recorded in the Chinese Head Tax Register up to 1949 using the Chinese Canadian Stories' Register of Chinese Immigrants to Canada, 1886-1949, also called the Head Tax database. Search by personal name, village or county of birth, date of registration, port of arrival, vessel name, and more.

The C.I.6 was issued in some circumstances to Chinese persons who had entered Canada prior to 1885 and had therefore paid no head tax. It was in use from 1885 and discontinued after 1912, in favour of a re-drafted C.I.5 or C.I.36.

FINDING THE RECORDS

No collections or examples of C.I.6 certificates have been identified.

Related records include the General Registers of Chinese Immigration and the Register of Chinese Immigration - Port of New Westminster, both of which recorded C.I.6 certificate numbers.

The C.I.9 was used from around 1885 to 1953. A person of Chinese ancestry (whether born abroad or native-born) who wished to leave Canada temporarily had to register with immigration authorities. The C.I.9 (initially called a Certificate of Leave) was issued at the port of departure, and was time-limited. When it was issued, the individual was required to surrender other identifying certificates (e.g. C.I.5, 6, 28, 30, 36). When he re-entered Canada, the C.I.9 certificate was returned to immigration authorities, stamped and filed. Original certificates deposited with immigration authorities at the time of departure were returned to the individual.

The C.I.9 certificate included detailed identifying information, names of friends, photo (at least from 1910), and travel details. Two different versions are known. The following description of personal information found on a C.I.9 certificate is based on a 1917 example:

• Certificate number
• Port of departure
  • e.g. Vancouver
• Destination
  • e.g. Hong Kong
• Name of ship
  • e.g. Empress of Russia
• Date of departure
  • e.g. Nov 22 1917
• Expected port of return
  • Vancouver
• Proper name
  • e.g. Leung Chik
• Other names
  • e.g. Leung Chik Lew
• Month, year and port of arrival in Canada; name of ship
  • e.g. 1907 (Van. Emp Japan) June
• Current place of residence in Canada
  • e.g. Granum, Alta.
• First year at current place of residence
  • e.g. 1907
• Name and number of main identifying document
  • e.g. C.I.36 No. 06604
• Occupation
  • e.g. Merchant
• Place of birth
  • e.g. Bok Gin
• Age
  • e.g. 30
• Height
  • e.g. 5 feet 6 inches
• Facial marks or other peculiarities
  • e.g. Mole and scar between eyebrows, Scar back 1 ear, Mole 1 upperlip

The certificate also includes a declaration by one or more individuals, attesting to the accuracy of the information, as in the following example:

I am personally known to Bew On Hong and Lung Way both of Vancouver to whom I would refer you for correctness of statements herein made.

Following the declaration, the individual signed his name in Chinese characters.

The Controller of Immigration who collected the certificate when the individual returned to Canada also made a declaration that recorded the ship and date on which the person returned, for example:

I have personally examined the person of Chinese origin who claims to be the person above described and whose photograph is affixed hereon (2), who returned to Canada on the name of ship, day and month, 19__ and declare him to be the same person.

Related records include:

Lists of Persons Readmitted to Canada at Victoria Under C.I.9 / 9A Certificates and Other Readmissions and Cancellations

Lists of Persons to Whom C.I.9 and C.I.9A Certificates Have Been Issued in Vancouver and Victoria

FINDING THE RECORDS

At the Vancouver Public Library

A set of C.I.9 certificates issued at Vancouver and Victoria has been microfilmed by Library and Archives Canada and is available at the Vancouver Public Library. The microfilms include both the foreign-born and people born in Canada. The films comprise approximately 41,000 certificates. The foreign-born (approximately 35,600) greatly outnumber the Canadian-born (approximately 5600). The certificates are arranged chronologically as follows:

Some certificates are missing.

For more details, see the archival record of C.I.9 Certificates from Vancouver and Victoria through Collection Search on the Library and Archives Canada website.

Similar to the C.I.9 certificate, this was issued to crewmen of Chinese ancestry on Canadian and foreign ships docking at Canadian ports. It was used from around 1906 until after 1915.

FINDING THE RECORDS

At Library and Archives Canada

No collections or examples of C.I.9A certificates have been identified. Related records are found in Lists of Persons Readmitted to Canada at Victoria under C.I.9/ 9A Certificates and Other Readmissions and Cancellations.

C.I.28 certificates were issued to replace destroyed or lost identifying certificates (C.I.5, C.I.30, and C.I.36).

Front

The following represents information found on C.I.28 certificates, based on a 1925 example:

Back

In 1923, after passage of the Chinese Immigration Act, C.I.28 certificates were stamped on the back in accordance with Section 18, which required the registration of all Chinese people living in Canada.

FINDING THE RECORDS

C.I.28 certificates were issued to individuals and have often remained in the possession of families. Examples may be found in archival repositories.

At Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collections include four examples of C.I.28 certificates:

Additional information about these certificates is found in Library and Archives Canada's online Sample Chinese immigration certificates.

Image copies of the certificates can be seen on the first part of Library and Archives Canada microfilm reel C-13421, together with examples of other Chinese immigration certificates. Two immigration certificates are available digitally through Library and Archives Canada's Sample Chinese immigration certificates record. One is the C.I.28 certificate for Chong Lee. The other is a C.I.5 certificate (Head Tax).

Related records are found in the C.I.28 Register, which documents the numbers of C.I.28 certificates issued to approximately 14,300 individuals between 1912-1950.

The records are arranged in numerical order, and are in rough chronological order. The date of the first record is January 26, 1912. The last record is dated June 30, 1950.

The "Details of Arrival in Canada" column in the C.I.28 Register records the date of each person's original arrival in Canada, as well as the number of any C.I.4 or C.I.5 certificate that was issued. The Register oddly, however, does not indicate the date on which the C.I.28 certificate was issued. Throughout the records, the date of issue has been added to the register either in a hand-drawn column or in the "Remarks" column.

The register is divided into columns with labels as follows:

• C.I.28 Number
• Name
• Details of Arrival in Canada
  • Port
  • Ship
  • Date
  • Serial Number
  • C.I.4 Number
  • C.I.5 Number
• File Number
• Remarks
  • Indicates the individual's residence (often including their street address) and usually notes "Gave name on arrival . . ." In many cases, alternate forms of name are indicated.

For more details see the archival record of the C.I.28 Register through Collection Search on the Library and Archives Canada website.

At the Vancouver Public Library

The above set of records has been microfilmed and is available at the Vancouver Public Library. The records are found on microfilm reel T-3486, which is the second to last in a set of eight microfilm reels comprising several series of federal Chinese immigration records.

T-3486 - Film notes

Note that the beginning of the film comprises the final sections of the General Registers of Chinese Immigration. These are followed by the C.I.28 Register and then by the first part of the C.I.36 Register. The date ranges shown in the table below are approximate, as the records are not in exact chronological order.

The C.I.30 certificate was issued instead of a C.I.5 (head tax) certificate to persons entering Canada who were exempt from paying the head tax. The category included people such as merchants, diplomats and teachers. The form was in use from before 1921 to 1949.

Front

The following represents information found on C.I.30 certificates, based on a 1921 example:

Back

In 1923, after passage of the Chinese Immigration Act, C.I.30 certificates were stamped on the back in accordance with Section 18, which required the registration of all Chinese people living in Canada.

If the individual to whom the C.I.30 certificate was issued subsequently ceased to belong to an exempt class and therefore became subject to the head tax, this was also recorded on the reverse of the C.I.30 certificate.

FINDING THE RECORDS

At Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collections include the following example of a C.I.30 certificate:

*The file also includes a related 1924 head tax receipt, issued after Lum Po lost the status under which he was exempted in 1921. Additional information about these certificates is found in Library and Archives Canada's online Sample Chinese immigration certificates. An image copy of the certificate can be seen on the first part of Library and Archives Canada microfilm reel C-13421, together with examples of other Chinese immigration certificates. Related records include the Victoria Ledger of Exempt Admissions and the Vancouver Ledger of Exempt Admissions, both of which documented C.I.30 certificate numbers.

C.I.36 certificates were issued to replace C.I.5 (head tax) certificates issued prior to 1912. The older certificates were considered inadequate, as they did not include photographs. Replacements were issued as the occasion arose - for example, when someone needed a travel document.

Front

The following represents information found on C.I.36 certificates, based on a 1913 example:

Back

In 1923, after passage of the Chinese Immigration Act, C.I.36 certificates were stamped on the back in accordance with Section 18, which required the registration of all Chinese people living in Canada.

FINDING THE RECORDS

C.I.36 certificates were issued to individuals and have often remained in the possession of families. Examples may be found in archival repositories.

At Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collections include five examples of C.I.36 certificates:

*This is not a C.I.36 certificate, but a 1953 receipt for a C.I.36 certificate, together with a 1946 C.I.46 certificate for the same person.

Additional information about these certificates is found in Library and Archives Canada's online Sample Chinese immigration certificates.

Image copies of the certificates can be seen on the first part of Library and Archives Canada microfilm reel C-13421, together with examples of other Chinese immigration certificates.

Related records are found in the C.I.36 register, which records the numbers of C.I.36 certificates issued to approximately 24,200 individuals, most of whom arrived in Canada between 1895-1912.

The C.I.44 was a form completed to register an individual under Section 18 of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923. Registration was required of every person of Chinese origin or descent in Canada. The form recorded detailed identifying information, and bore a photo and related file numbers. The number and date of the C.I.44 was also stamped on the back of the individual's entry certificate (C.I.5, 6, 28, 30 or 36). Those without an entry certificate (i.e. Canadian-born Chinese) were issued a C.I.45 certificate as proof of registration. The majority of C.I.44 forms were created by the Dominion of Canada's Department of Immigration and Colonization (Chinese Immigration Service) from July 1923 to June 1924 within the mandatory twelve-month registration period. Those who were abroad registered upon their legal return to Canada. The last form was completed in 1946 before the Chinese Immigration Act was repealed the following year.

FINDING THE RECORDS

For further details, see the archival record of the C.I.44 forms and indexes through Collection Search on the Library and Archives Canada website.

Online

Microfilm reels of the C.I.44 forms and index cards can be viewed at Canadiana Héritage. For help accessing the forms and index cards use the finding aid here.

Access to searchable indexes of the C.I.44 forms and index cards are available through Ancestry Library Edition and FamilySearch.

The C.I.45 was a card issued as proof of registration under the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 to those who did not have a main identifying document that could be stamped, such as a C.I.5, 6, 28, 30 or 36. This included persons who were born in Canada, and those who had lost their original documents. C.I.45 cards were created by the Dominion of Canada's Department of Immigration and Colonization (Chinese Immigration Service) from about June 1923 to July 1924.

FINDING THE RECORDS

No collections or examples of C.I.45 certificates have been identified.

The C.I.46 was an identity card issued to crew members of Chinese origin employed on ships travelling between Canadian and U.S. ports. These crew members were required to register with immigration officials. The C.I.46 certificate allowed them to leave and re-enter Canada during a limited period of time (e.g. one year).

Front

The following represents information found on C.I.46 certificates, based on a 1947 example:

C.I.46

FINDING THE RECORDS

At Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collections include two examples of C.I.46 certificates:

Additional information about these records is found in Library and Archives Canada's online Sample Chinese immigration certificates.

Image copies of the certificates can be seen on the first part of Library and Archives Canada microfilm reel C-13421, together with examples of other Chinese immigration certificates.

In addition to the C.I.4, 5, 6, 9, 9A, 28, 30, 36, 44, 45 and 46, a number of other Chinese immigration forms were used between 1885-1953. Not all related to individuals; some were used for other administrative purposes relating to Chinese immigration.

The following is a provisional list of other forms used. It is derived from a list prepared by Library and Archives Canada in 1987.