Australian police certificates.

[sleepless in lond 0]

I got my packet 3 a few months ago (September 2013) (and received my visa today YAYAYAY) and in the packet there it said:

"Obtaining an Australian Police certificate must be based on a fingerprint check, please refer to the following website: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/obtain_police_cert.html . "

So that is as much information as I can give. Throughout this whole process its better to go too far than not far enough even if it costs a few extra dollars.

Hi Tassie,

The link you gave: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/obtain_police_cert.html now does not make any mention fingerprints at all... All states seem to have costs around $50 (suggesting no prints?) And for those outside aus it explicitly says "Applicants are required to apply for a police certificate based on a name check, ensuring that the certificate addresses all known names and/or aliases"

Just curious... can you confirm that the info on the us embassy in aus has changed between today and your post from Jan 31?

Fingers firmly crossed!!!!!

[B & G 200]

Hi s-c,

I am in the same boat as an Australian living in London. I got a name check as i followed the instructions on the AFP website and nowhere there or on the NVC guidelines does it note that fingerprints are required... So, i had thought all was in hand for weeks, only to stumble across something somewhere suggesting that for Aus it must be a fingerprint check.

I rushed to get fingerprints done here, couriered them to the AFP, and have been calling emailing them to explain i urgently need my fingerprint form... So far, there has been nothing from them to say it will be done quickly

So, i am wondering: have you had your interview in London already? Did they really specifically say that you must produce an Aus Police Cert with fingerprints?

Any news on recent experiences in London would be unbelievably helpful.

Hey Sleepless..

I had the same worries as you! Only applied for a name check with AFP. I am an Australian citizen but I havent lived in Aus for 14 years! Anyway.. through VJ, I found another CR1 filer like me that lived in Australia for a short amount of time and was now overseas. He applied for a name check certificate (no fingerprints) and it was accepted by NVC without any problem.

Here is what I found on the NVC website that states that only name check is required, mentions nothing about fingerprints.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/submit.html

Scroll down till you find the heading: Review additional embassy or consulate instructions, from the list chose SYD and download pdf. Print it out and take it with you to the London Embassy should they ask for fingerprints. You can only give them what they ask for, and the instructions for AUS police check certificates from the SYD consulate state only name check!

Good luck!

[sleepless in lond 0]

Hi B&G,

Thank you! I have printed off that page and also the page on the US Embassy website in Sydney (where it specifically says 'Applicants are required to apply for a police certificate based on a name check').

I am pretty sure the name check should be ok- and seemingly it certainly would be in Sydney. I guess I am just worried that London won't be up to date on the reqs for an Australian Police Certificate... And I have no idea whether I am way over thinking this, or whether it will be no problem at all on the day. I haven't had to send my documents to the NVC as we were able to file everything in London directly. So, we have to bring everything (ie. all original documents and copies of each of them) to the interview and just hope it all goes well.

For anyone else lurking this page- I will let you know what happens after my interview in a couple of weeks' time!

Would be great to hear any other recent interview experiences re: Australian Police Certificates...

Thanks again B & G!

[B & G 200]

Hi B&G,

Thank you! I have printed off that page and also the page on the US Embassy website in Sydney (where it specifically says 'Applicants are required to apply for a police certificate based on a name check').

I am pretty sure the name check should be ok- and seemingly it certainly would be in Sydney. I guess I am just worried that London won't be up to date on the reqs for an Australian Police Certificate... And I have no idea whether I am way over thinking this, or whether it will be no problem at all on the day. I haven't had to send my documents to the NVC as we were able to file everything in London directly. So, we have to bring everything (ie. all original documents and copies of each of them) to the interview and just hope it all goes well.

For anyone else lurking this page- I will let you know what happens after my interview in a couple of weeks' time!

Would be great to hear any other recent interview experiences re: Australian Police Certificates...

Thanks again B & G!

Very welcome!

Hopefully London wont give you any grief and you'll breeze through!

Also...

[V+A 2]

The Sydney consulate advises to wait for the e-mail from them with the instructions. Unless specifically asked for, a simple name check without fingerprints is fine. You don't need NVC number for police as you are the one ordering the report and you simply have it mailed to you.

[sleepless in lond 0]

So, I had my interview at the embassy in London on Tuesday.

Everything went amazingly smoothly, and there was no mention whatsoever about a need for fingerprint check. The lady we saw asked for originals + copies of my passport, birth certificate, police certificates and essentially glanced at them before just slotting the copies in to my folder. It was all very straight forward and seemed like much more of a box checking exercise than I had anticipated!

I had rushed to try and get a fingerprint check done in time, but that wasn't to be. So, I was nervous- but as I said the name check was no problem at all, and everything was accepted without so much as a moment's hesitation.

Of course you need to do what you think is right, and i probably still would have panicked and tried for the fingerprints even after reading a post like this! So- If you have the time, then maybe do it to be sure everything is in order. But, seemingly (and according to the embassy in Canberra) a name check is sufficient- so if that is all you have for the interview, then all should be well. (I had printed off the page from the embassy in Canberra saying a name check was fine as back up!)

Good luck to anyone waiting for their process to come to an end! I was so relieved and so happy that all went smoothly on Tuesday. May all of you have the same result!!