Police Clearance Hong Kong and Singapore

[Al422 221]

We are at the stage of schedulng the interview at Manila, but Manila has our hands tied and has completely paralyzed us in getting police clearances for Hong Kong and Singapore. Hong Kong wants to see the original letter from the Embassy regarding interview preparation instructions, and Singapore wants a specific requesting letter from the Embassy for their clearance.

NVC sent the file to Manila almost 2 months,ago, December 31. One month ago I emailed a request for the usual interview letter, explaining that we need it to get the Hong Kong police clearance. They emailed me back 2 weeks ago that the letter was being mailed, but nothing from them since. No further emails, no letter, no nothing.

As for Singapore I sent an email 2 weeks ago asking for the specific letter that Singapore wants to see for their police clearance. They did not respond to that email at all. No return email, no letter, no nothing.

So the Manila Embassy now has us totally paralyzed. We can do nothing without the Hong Kong and Singapore police clearances, yet they refuse to engage in the one step in each case we need for them to do in order to get these things. It seems they want it both ways: We must have the clearances, yet we can't have them because they won't do their part for us to get them.

What to do?

[CjBryan19 11]

this makes me nervous I too will need to get my Police clearance in Hong Kong soon. did you try to go to USEM to ask for request form? good luck to you.

[Al422 221]

this makes me nervous I too will need to get my Police clearance in Hong Kong soon. did you try to go to USEM to ask for request form? good luck to you.

They don't need a specific request form, just the usual letter from USEM detailing the interview preparation. But we never got that letter despite a 2 week old promise that they would send it. Singapore does require that request form, the request for which they have ignored altogether.

[kitthekat 1,317]

Some VJers, a few months back, reported that they managed to successfully request the Singapore COC using the K1 checklist from USEM. It's available online so you can just print out a copy:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/325288/packets/K1%20and%20K2%20Interview%20Preparation%20Instructions%20-%20English%20_10%20October%202013_.pdf

If you have already tried this and Singapore wouldn't accept it, you may need to chase Manila to re-send the letter. Perhaps it got lost on the way, perhaps they just sat on it and haven't sent it out. Recently, another Manila visa applicant turned up to the interview without the Singapore COC, and was given the request letter on the spot. She got a 221(g) form and had to submit the COC before the visa was issued. Slight additional delay but that was one way they got around it.

[kitthekat 1,317]

Just to add, this thread has some info (albeit from 2012) on people going down personally to USEM to get the request letter from "window 38".

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/361360-singapore-police-clearance-for-k1-visa-in-philippines/?p=5275844

I send my documents with the Request letter to my previous employer she then go to SPF to submit my documents,for the request letter i went to US embassy Manila at window 38 to to ask for it personally

[Al422 221]

My fiance is working in Hong Kong and therefore does not have that option. Does it have to be her or can she send someone else?

[kitthekat 1,317]

My fiance is working in Hong Kong and therefore does not have that option. Does it have to be her or can she send someone else?

Sorry, I don't know...but my gut feeling is that they wouldn't give a request letter to anyone other than the visa applicant.

Have you tried it with the K1 checklist? I know of a Malaysian who used the checklist and got her COC fine.

[Al422 221]

We don't have the checklist either. USEM promised 2 weeks ago that they were mailing it, and nothing arrived.

[kitthekat 1,317]

I linked it in post number 4. It is generic and addressed to the "K1/K2 visa applicant" so you should be able to just print it off online.

Edited February 21, 2014 by kitthekat

[Al422 221]

I checked the CEAC website, which said there was an update yesterday, Feb 20, but does not say what that update is. Is there any way to find out? Maybe they just sent it yesterday, in which case I should just wait for the mail to arrive to my fiance.

[kitthekat 1,317]

I checked the CEAC website, which said there was an update yesterday, Feb 20, but does not say what that update is. Is there any way to find out? Maybe they just sent it yesterday, in which case I should just wait for the mail to arrive to my fiance.

Great! Would it be possible to upload a copy of it once you get it (with all personal info redacted of course)? Seems like a recurrent question for many.

[Al422 221]

All it says is UPDATE. No other information.

[Al422 221]

I called the USEM and although the person was polite and respectful, she was not able to access any information for us. All she was able to suggest is to send a follow up email.

We are at a standstill and will never break the standstill until they give us these two letters.

[kitthekat 1,317]

Ok, sorry if I missed your reply on this, but have you tried just using the printout of the checklist I linked you to? Has SPF expressly rejected it? Because they have accepted the checklist from other foreign national applicants no problem.

Alternatively, worst case scenario:

She goes to the interview at USEM anyway, without the police certificates. She will receive a 221(g) form asking her to submit the certs. At the interview, she will have to request that letter she needs, on the spot. Immediately after the interview, she can put in the request with Hong Kong/Singapore using that letter. Singapore will take 4-6 weeks to send it overseas. I don't know about Hong Kong.

There will be a slight delay for her receiving the visa, but at least you have an option to move forward.

[Al422 221]

Well to update the situation, we got Hong Kong to accept the NVC letter. It seems that all they really want is something official from a US immigration office with the case data on it, since they send their police records directly to the USEM.

As for SIngapore, it is possible they will accept something like that, but we are not ready to take that kind of chance. WIth HK there was no risk since Candy is presently in HK. So she went to the police station and brought the docs she had, figuring that if none of that flew and we had to wait for the appointment letter, we only lost about one hour of her time. Lo and behold, they accepted the NVC letter.

As for Singapore, if what we send them does not fly, we lose 3 to 4 weeks of time before we find out that it does not fly. So we would really prefer giving them the right stuff.

On March 17, Candy flies back to Philippines for two weeks to get things she needs for the interview, such as CENOMAR and NBI. March 31, she flies back to HK to return to her job, and then she returns to Manila in May for her May 20 interview. When she is there on March 17th, the plan is for her to go to the embassy in person to see if she can get the Singapore letter because she will still have 2 months before the interview.

Can anyone who has successfully gottten USEM to cough up the Singapore letter by email tell us how long it took them to send it? Right now they are not even acknowledging our email inquiries, and the people who answer the phone tell us they can't help us and that email is the only way. I can see a possibility that USEM is actually processing our letter because it is just like them to not acknowledge anything until the final work product is done and shipped out. I am trying to gauge how hard I should be bugging them for the letter until I get it. My first email request for this letter is 3 weeks old and my follow up is 1 week old. DId I allow them enough time?

Edited February 27, 2014 by Al422