Australian Police Check- so frustrated!

[littlej 23]

ok i've received my NOA2 for my K1 visa and i have been getting the absolute run around trying to get my police check organised and i keep getting told different things! Like others on VJ i checked the consular website and it didn't say anything about needing fingerprints so i submitted an application for a police check- name check only, but have now been told this was wrong and that i need fingerprints. I checked the Australian Federal Police (AFP) website which said the fingerprints can be taken at any local police station...i also called to confirm this. I have been to 3 police stations (in Victoria) today and none of them will do my fingerprints. I have spoken to the AFP 4 times today and keep getting told that my local police station CAN do fingerprints. The place the local stations are telling me to go to is all the way on the other side of the city and are only open during business hours by appointment, I'm so frustrated i feel like this is delaying me as i'll probably have to wait to get an appointment and the fingerprint check can take up to 30 days to be completed so i want it done asap....

Now that my vent is over! My questions are...can anybody who has done their police check recently confirm i need the fingerprints done, and were you able to do it at your local station? thanks for any help and apologies if this has been posted in the wrong spot

[isabooo 27]

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/obtain_police_cert.html

They say pay 52$ fee, that means name check only, that's the cost for it

Edited October 8, 2013 by isabooo

[rjbntsk 5]

Hi, we live in Victoria too and had our police check done without any hassle.

There is another thread on this site that details what you need to do - go to the Victoria Police website and search for national police check.

You WILL need to do the full check of name and fingerprints - the US Consulate in Sydney will not accept name check only.

There are several police stations throughout VIC that will do the fingerprints. You should not be charged for this - you just book the appointment via the one phone number at your preferred station, then go and they will do the prints and give you a fingerprint card.

To make an appointment to have your fingerprints taken, telephone 1300 881 596 between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

They may ask if you are needing to do the LiveScan or hard copy - tell them the hard copy. Otherwise they will get all confused, then call AFP and try to tell you that you need to do it through AFP. Note, your experience may vary - some of the Melbourne locations are a bit more savvy and may be fine doing LiveScan, but when you say it's for a US visa, they may say you need to submit via AFP. This is NOT true - they are confusing that with requirements for those applying for an Australian permanent residency visa, or with overseas applicants sending in visa applications to Australia.

You also should have filled out and printed a copy of the Victorian application, which the police officer can sign with you.

Then just mail the application form, your payment (a bank cheque) for AUD$144.00, and your fingerprint card. You will then get the result posted to you - ours came in only about 2 weeks, so was pretty fast.

We got lots of different opinions and confusion from the police about this, so just thank anyone who tells you otherwise and proceed with the above steps, and you will be fine!

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=274

Is the website to go to.

Good luck!

[rjbntsk 5]

PS, not every station does fingerprints- refer to: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=31613

[aysidrak 2]

You are required to obtain a police ceritificate based on fingerprints. I booked mine with the station in the City and got livescan fingerprints and filled the police app form. Got my police certificate mailed to me within a week or so. It costed $144.

[Tina Xu 1]

Hey, I called AFP a few times and also applied for the wrong police certificate. Then I also emailed the US embassy and was replied that

"Depending on which Australian state or territory in which you reside will depend on how to apply for the Australian police certificate. Please refer tohttp://canberra.usembassy.gov/obtain_police_cert.html for further information.

Your certificate can be based on a name check or fingerprint check.

If it’s based on a name check, it must contain all aliases previously and presently used. Failure to provide a name check certificate with all aliases may result in the consular officer refusing your application for a police certificate based on a fingerprint check.

Thank you

U.S. Consulate General, Sydney

Immigrant Visa Unit

(CC)"

Then for police certificate from AFP

"Dear Tina,

If you require a full name and fingerprint check you will need to obtain fingerprints from your local police station using their fingerprint form and attach them to our application form and send them to us with your photo ID and cheque/money order $99.

To obtain a suitable set of fingerprints;

1. Ensure that the applicant has clean, dry fingers.

2. Distribute the fingerprint ink evenly over the ink slab (ensure that the ink is not too heavily applied).

3. Roll the fingers from nail edge to nail edge to collect the ink and do the same when placing the finger onto the paper.

4. Avoid excess pressure and try not to allow the fingers to slip when rolling onto the paper.

5. Be sure the impressions are labelled correctly.

6. Also, where possible please record all four fingers taken together.

7. If fingerprints are not in English they will need to be translated and certified.

8. Ensure applicants details are provided on the fingerprint card- applicants full name and date of birth

Kind Regards

Kris"

[Kiwinyc 62]

My k1 was processed through the US Embassy in London but I got a name and fingerprint check also, after reading that the fingerprint check was necessary. I was issued my visa no problems. Can't help with where to get them done though, the US Embassy in London tells you where in England you have them done, perhaps so can the US Embassy in Sydney since its their requirement. I ended up going down to New Scotland Yard and paying £70 for the privilege.

[Sweetrayne 7]

Can anyone provide insight? My fiancé lives near Sydney. He got his prints done but sent them to Canberra to the afp and used a form different from website. It will still run a name check and fingerprints but its a more in depth process than what it sounds like had he sent them off to paramatta. It's a higher level of check. This shouldn't be a problem? We tried emailing the consulate but all we got was the cut and paste response.

[Tee Wlkr 4]

ok i've received my NOA2 for my K1 visa and i have been getting the absolute run around trying to get my police check organised and i keep getting told different things! Like others on VJ i checked the consular website and it didn't say anything about needing fingerprints so i submitted an application for a police check- name check only, but have now been told this was wrong and that i need fingerprints. I checked the Australian Federal Police (AFP) website which said the fingerprints can be taken at any local police station...i also called to confirm this. I have been to 3 police stations (in Victoria) today and none of them will do my fingerprints. I have spoken to the AFP 4 times today and keep getting told that my local police station CAN do fingerprints. The place the local stations are telling me to go to is all the way on the other side of the city and are only open during business hours by appointment, I'm so frustrated i feel like this is delaying me as i'll probably have to wait to get an appointment and the fingerprint check can take up to 30 days to be completed so i want it done asap....

Now that my vent is over! My questions are...can anybody who has done their police check recently confirm i need the fingerprints done, and were you able to do it at your local station? thanks for any help and apologies if this has been posted in the wrong spot

Hi littlej,

I saw in your timeline that you've now received your AFP certificate. May I ask if you postal mailed the application to them or applied online? I'm trying to gauge how long it actually took them to process yours. They've said they received ours on the 15th and started working on it then, and then they give the whole 30 working days spill. We mailed it around the 10th...I'm pulling my hair out over this, but I'll save you the rant. It's the only thing left for us to book our interview . And I'm actually in South Africa, so a friend in Melbourne will be receiving it and couriering it to me.

Long story short, did you submit online or postal mail yours? Trying to determine when they may have started working on it...

Thanks for any info.

[littlej 23]

Hi littlej,

I saw in your timeline that you've now received your AFP certificate. May I ask if you postal mailed the application to them or applied online? I'm trying to gauge how long it actually took them to process yours. They've said they received ours on the 15th and started working on it then, and then they give the whole 30 working days spill. We mailed it around the 10th...I'm pulling my hair out over this, but I'll save you the rant. It's the only thing left for us to book our interview . And I'm actually in South Africa, so a friend in Melbourne will be receiving it and couriering it to me.

Long story short, did you submit online or postal mail yours? Trying to determine when they may have started working on it...

Thanks for any info.

Hey Tee, how frustrating is it! i express and register posted it so i knew they received it.When i was calling around trying to get info and the AFP told me 30 days, the man i spoke to told me once it had been submitted i could ring and ask them to process it as 'urgent'. So on the 24th i called and asked them if it could be processed urgently due to needing to book a visa interview etc. The next day i received an email saying it had been processed and then i received it in the mail a couple of days later. I think it would definitely be worth a call, hopefully it's not too much longer for you

[Tee Wlkr 4]

Hey Tee, how frustrating is it! i express and register posted it so i knew they received it.When i was calling around trying to get info and the AFP told me 30 days, the man i spoke to told me once it had been submitted i could ring and ask them to process it as 'urgent'. So on the 24th i called and asked them if it could be processed urgently due to needing to book a visa interview etc. The next day i received an email saying it had been processed and then i received it in the mail a couple of days later. I think it would definitely be worth a call, hopefully it's not too much longer for you

Thank you Fiance called and they told him they'll put a note for it to be processed urgently. Hopefully it'll be quick.

[littlej 23]

yes hopefully! we're at the tail end now, it's so nice to be able to see an end in site finally

Edited November 2, 2013 by littlej

[Tee Wlkr 4]

yes hopefully! we're at the tail end now, it's so nice to be able to see an end in site finally

It worked! We called on Friday and got an email on Monday saying it's been posted! Thanks for the tip Sent back the pkt 3 today as well. I see so did you. It's all happening...And yes it is nice that the end is in sight, finally.

[Sweetrayne 7]

Don't know if this helps, but my fiance is in Aus and had to deal with the Aus police fingerprinting fiasco. Sydney did allow him to go ahead and mail packet 3 and once he got his prints he emailed them straight away and they responded and set up his appt within 5 minutes of his email. He just brought a certified copy and the original with him. Even tho in Sydney, we got directed to AFP and ended up doing a completely different form, but it had the name and fingerprint check so they accepted it and all is well....

[littlej 23]

It worked! We called on Friday and got an email on Monday saying it's been posted! Thanks for the tip Sent back the pkt 3 today as well. I see so did you. It's all happening...And yes it is nice that the end is in sight, finally.

oh that's great news i'm glad yours came through. Will be interesting to see if our interviews are scheduled close together, you never we may cross paths in Sydney! I'm being overly opimistic and hoping my interview will be on the 19th November as my fiance is coming to visit me and we will be in Sydney meeting my family that week!

Don't know if this helps, but my fiance is in Aus and had to deal with the Aus police fingerprinting fiasco. Sydney did allow him to go ahead and mail packet 3 and once he got his prints he emailed them straight away and they responded and set up his appt within 5 minutes of his email. He just brought a certified copy and the original with him. Even tho in Sydney, we got directed to AFP and ended up doing a completely different form, but it had the name and fingerprint check so they accepted it and all is well....

I would love to have known that about a month ago Sweetrayne, oh well i got mine in the end! will be good info for anyone else applying for their police check down the track to know though