An Alberta man says he can't get a job because his criminal record check is taking too long to process.

Brent Hoffman went to an RCMP detachment to get a criminal check for a nursing assistant job.

But he says his birthday and gender match that of a convicted criminal, so he had to have his fingerprints taken, which can take four weeks to process.

"Periodically I phone, and I phone, and I phone and there's nothing they can do," Hoffman explains. "My work life has been put on hold because I want to stay in the field of nursing assistant [and] until I get a criminal record check, I can't move forward."

Hoffman remains unemployed and had to move in with his sister south of Lethbridge, Alta.

Const. Darrin Turnbull, spokesman for the RCMP in southern Alberta, says fingerprints do take a long time to come back.

“The waiting period to have these fingerprints come back from Ottawa is an unfortunate part of the process,” Turnbull said.

“However, it's a necessary part because we're doing this to ensure the safety of our family and our children.”