Alex

A question for the resident experts:

We wish to sponsor my father in law for permanent residence.
Unfortunately my wife does not have her birth certificate.
She was born in the USSR, emigrated from there as a small child some
30 years ago and immigrated to Canada in 2000. Nether she nor her
father have the document.

Is it possible to substitute another document for the birth
certificate?
Maybe she can obtain something from the consulate of her country of
citizenship that CIC will find acceptable?

Thank you in advance!