Are overseas police certificates an absolute necessity?

[rmaguir 0]

Okay, we just got our packet 3 today in Taiwan, very fast. I told the lady that we had a plane ticket to leave Taiwan on December 17 and asked if we were being realistic about being able to leave so soon. She said it should be "no problem at all." Looking though the packet, though, I saw that it mentioned police records from any place my wife had lived for more than 12 months. I had known that this might be necessary, but I thought they would specifically ask you to bring it if they found it necessary in your case. For instance, someone mentioned that she lived in Germany for three years, and she just got her green card without ever presenting a police certificate in the DCF process.

I went back and asked the lady (a different one) if we had to present the police certificate. She said that if they need it they will ask for it.

However, all the information I can find online leads me to believe that the police cert. is a necessary part of the application. This worries me because dealing with the French government (we lived in France for a couple of years) is always time consuming, and I don't want this to set back our application.

What can we do?

[kaffy 2]

I am quite certain that your wife will be asked to present one for France if she has lived there "for a couple of years". They will identify this through your wife's DS-230 form once they receive it. If you know that it will take time to process then it's better to get the process started asap. For instance I lived in Japan for a few yrs and knew through here that their police certificates take about 2-3 months to process, so I made an appointment and had my fingerprints done as early as I could. And thankfully received my results back ONE day before my interview. Plus the Consulate didn't request the certificate until about half way through my visa process, so had I waited until they asked to apply for one, it would have set me back a good month or two.

The first place I would suggest you start with is the Embassy of France in Taiwan, and the US Department of State website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciproc...ocity_3562.html

Edited September 25, 2008 by kaffy

[Completely 3]

Okay, we just got our packet 3 today in Taiwan, very fast. I told the lady that we had a plane ticket to leave Taiwan on December 17 and asked if we were being realistic about being able to leave so soon. She said it should be "no problem at all." Looking though the packet, though, I saw that it mentioned police records from any place my wife had lived for more than 12 months. I had known that this might be necessary, but I thought they would specifically ask you to bring it if they found it necessary in your case. For instance, someone mentioned that she lived in Germany for three years, and she just got her green card without ever presenting a police certificate in the DCF process.

I went back and asked the lady (a different one) if we had to present the police certificate. She said that if they need it they will ask for it.

However, all the information I can find online leads me to believe that the police cert. is a necessary part of the application. This worries me because dealing with the French government (we lived in France for a couple of years) is always time consuming, and I don't want this to set back our application.

What can we do?

They will surely ask for Police certificate for each country she lives in, so expect for that.. If you see and search all the topics about police certificate you see that majority of them had to show the police certificate.. It is time consuming yes,, but it has to be done.

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

They asked me and by all accounts, Ireland is a very easygoing embassy which asks for very little (didn't ask to see any bonafides and only about half our I-864 asset proof).

With "She said that if they need it they will ask for it.", the CO probably meant they'll check your DS-230 and will ask for police certs for any place the beneficiary lived long enough.

Edited September 25, 2008 by Penguin_ie

[MargotDarko 0]

Yep, the rule is get a police certificate from any country where the beneficiary lived for six months or more after turning 16. The only exception is the US as they'll be able to do that check themselves, and I don't think there is even a police certificate type thing for the US.

[kaffy 2]

The only exception is the US as they'll be able to do that check themselves, and I don't think there is even a police certificate type thing for the US.

There is an FBI Identification Record Request which you can obtain through the FBI if required (such as for when applying for PR status overseas, etc). But no, it isnt required for the US Immigration procedure as I believe they perform the check themselves

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Yep, the rule is get a police certificate from any country where the beneficiary lived for six months or more after turning 16. The only exception is the US as they'll be able to do that check themselves, and I don't think there is even a police certificate type thing for the US.

Actually, I though it was for any country where the beneficiary has lived for more than one year unless it is the country of one's citizenship(s), in which case it is six months' or more residence. Certainly my husband didn't need to provide one for Germany or Russia, and he had lived in both for more than six months but less than a year.

[kaffy 2]

Yeah in Australia it's 6 months for country of nationality, 12 months for different country.

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/iv/family.html

but different countries could have different requirements..