CR1 visa police check/certificate requirements?

[cdngirl3 7]

From what I can gather on this forum, one of the pre-interview forms is a police certificate/check from any country you've spent more than 6 months in. Can anyone give me the details as to what type of police certificate/check is required? (Ideally an official link to where this info is posted?) In particular, does anyone know if a fingerprint check or just a name check is needed for an Australian police check, for those who have spent more than 6 months in Australia in the past, but do not currently reside in Australia? We have not received a request from the NVC for these documents yet, but are getting closer to the time we will need all that info, and I want to ensure we have these documents ready to go when needed, since it may take some time to get these completed/mailed.

 

Thank you for your help!

Edited December 31, 2019 by cdngirl3

[cdngirl3 7]

Found my answer here!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/australia.html

Australian Police Certificates

Available

Fees:   Refer to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) website for the current fee.

Document Name:   National Police Certificate

Issuing Authority:  Australian Federal Police

Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:  Various security features, including watermark, micro printing, and ink reactive the ultraviolet light.

Issuing Authority Personnel Title:  There is no issuing authority personnel title.

Registration Criteria:  There are no registration criteria.

Procedure for Obtaining:  Can be requested online or through a physical form sent by mail. Refer to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) website.

Certified Copies Available:  Inquire directly with AFP

Alternate Documents:  There are no alternate documents.

Exceptions:  None – applicants must apply for a Complete Disclosure Australian Federal Police Certificate.

Comments:  Please ensure that you access the official website for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) directly and not via a third party.

• In the National Police Checks section, scroll down and select the ‘Application Portal’ link.
• If applying online, after the Application Portal link is selected, you should progress through to the application form, entering all required data and scanning your documents.
• On the next page, under section 2.3 ‘Purpose of Check’, under ‘Purpose Type’, select ‘Commonwealth Employment /Purpose’.
• In same section under Purpose of Check, select Code ‘33’ – Immigration/Citizenship – for supply to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
• DO NOT SELECT Code ‘35’.
• Applicants must apply for the Complete Disclosure Australian Federal Police Certificate.

Australian Federal Police certificates based on fingerprints are preferred, but a certificate not based on fingerprints is acceptable if it shows all aliases ever used.

If the links above to the criminal records check page of the AFP website are not working, visit the AFP website directly at afp.gov.au.

[Pmta1 39]

Read your CR1/IR1 instructions from the Embassy carefully. Sometimes they require 12 months other times 6 months of residency before requiring a PC from that particular location. Secondly, begin early as overseas PC may take a while to process (or at least get an estimate before leaving it until later).

[cdngirl3 7]

Thanks! You are right. It says on the government website you need a police check for where you currently reside if you've been there 6 months or more, but the requirement is 12 months or more if you lived somewhere in the past. So I shouldn't need one then.