Using old Police Clearance Certificates for DS-260

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

For DS-260, I require Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) from three countries:

1. India (lived there from 1998 to 2009 - turned 16 in 2000) 

2. Singapore (lived there from 2009 to 2018)

3. Canada (living here since 2018)

 

Question 1:

I have Police clearance certificates for India dated Feb 2018 which I obtained when applying for permanent residency in Canada. I last I lived in India was in 2000. Since the issuance of this PCC, I have only been to India for two visits - the first for 2 weeks and the second for 6 days, both end of 2018. The PCC reads - "there is no adverse information against xxx which would render him/her inelligible for grant of travel facilities including visa for Canada." 

Would this PCC be accepted for DS-260?

 

Question 2:

I have a Police Clearance Certificate from Singapore dated January 2020. It was procured for security clearance for working on Govt projects here in Canada. I left Singapore before issuance of this PCC and haven't returned since. It reads, "This is to certify that xxx has no criminal record with this Department in Singapore from 18 June 2009 to 07 July 2018. This certificate is issued only for the holder for use in Canada."

Would this PCC be accepted for DS-260?

[Siggy 42]

2 hours ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

For DS-260, I require Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) from three countries:

1. India (lived there from 1998 to 2009 - turned 16 in 2000) 

2. Singapore (lived there from 2009 to 2018)

3. Canada (living here since 2018)

 

Question 1:

I have Police clearance certificates for India dated Feb 2018 which I obtained when applying for permanent residency in Canada. I last I lived in India was in 2000. Since the issuance of this PCC, I have only been to India for two visits - the first for 2 weeks and the second for 6 days, both end of 2018. The PCC reads - "there is no adverse information against xxx which would render him/her inelligible for grant of travel facilities including visa for Canada." 

Would this PCC be accepted for DS-260?

 

Question 2:

I have a Police Clearance Certificate from Singapore dated January 2020. It was procured for security clearance for working on Govt projects here in Canada. I left Singapore before issuance of this PCC and haven't returned since. It reads, "This is to certify that xxx has no criminal record with this Department in Singapore from 18 June 2009 to 07 July 2018. This certificate is issued only for the holder for use in Canada."

Would this PCC be accepted for DS-260?

ANY PCC IS VALID FOR ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF ISSUEANCE... AS PER USICS WEBSITE.... 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Siggy

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

2 hours ago, Siggy said:

ANY PCC IS VALID FOR ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF ISSUEANCE... AS PER USICS WEBSITE.... 

That’s incorrect. Refer to below from the IS department of State website:

 

“Important: Police certificates expire after one year, unless the certificate was issued from your country of previous residence and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued. If at the time of your interview the following three items are all true, you must bring a new police certificate to your visa interview:

• You are more than 16 years old;
• The police certificate submitted to NVC was obtained more than one year ago; and
• You still live in the country that issued the certificate.”

link: 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-5-collect-financial-evidence-and-other-supporting-documents/step-7-collect-civil-documents.html

 

[payxibka 10,045]

13 hours ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

For DS-260, I require Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) from three countries:

1. India (lived there from 1998 to 2009 - turned 16 in 2000) 

2. Singapore (lived there from 2009 to 2018)

3. Canada (living here since 2018)

 

Question 1:

I have Police clearance certificates for India dated Feb 2018 which I obtained when applying for permanent residency in Canada. I last I lived in India was in 2000. Since the issuance of this PCC, I have only been to India for two visits - the first for 2 weeks and the second for 6 days, both end of 2018. The PCC reads - "there is no adverse information against xxx which would render him/her inelligible for grant of travel facilities including visa for Canada." 

Would this PCC be accepted for DS-260?

 

Question 2:

I have a Police Clearance Certificate from Singapore dated January 2020. It was procured for security clearance for working on Govt projects here in Canada. I left Singapore before issuance of this PCC and haven't returned since. It reads, "This is to certify that xxx has no criminal record with this Department in Singapore from 18 June 2009 to 07 July 2018. This certificate is issued only for the holder for use in Canada."

Would this PCC be accepted for DS-260?

Yes to both 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

9 hours ago, payxibka said:

Yes to both 

Thanks for the response. You don’t think it’s an issue that both list Canada (and not USA) as the country of intended use?

[payxibka 10,045]

2 hours ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Thanks for the response. You don’t think it’s an issue that both list Canada (and not USA) as the country of intended use?

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

 

Follow the link, choose the correct country,  then choose police certificates.   Read the requirements and see if they meet the criteria 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

44 minutes ago, payxibka said:

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

 

Follow the link, choose the correct country,  then choose police certificates.   Read the requirements and see if they meet the criteria 

I have seen and studied that before. It tells you the procedure to obtain police certificates (I know that because I have done it in the past). It doesn’t say anything about existing police certificates.

[payxibka 10,045]

24 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

I have seen and studied that before. It tells you the procedure to obtain police certificates (I know that because I have done it in the past). It doesn’t say anything about existing police certificates.

It also tells you the document name and issuing authority.   You need to determine if the documents you have are the ones called out.  As long as you have not returned to the country since receiving the PC, then the dating is not your issue. 

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

3 minutes ago, payxibka said:

It also tells you the document name and issuing authority.   You need to determine if the documents you have are the ones called out.  As long as you have not returned to the country since receiving the PC, then the dating is not your issue. 

Yes the document Name and the issuing authority is correct, and that is not my concern. Neither is the date of certificate. It is clear from the link I provided to Siggy above that the certificate being more than 1 year old is not an issue since I don’t live in those countries anymore since the after the issuance of the police certificates. All of that is clear to me and not what I am asking.

 

My concern is that the certificates were issued for purpose of use in Canada. The certificates states the country Canada as I explained in my original post here. I am concerned if this would be an issue with the department of state or the consulate that country mentioned isn’t “USA”

[jan22 3,053]

You didn't return to India to live, but you did return to India since the certificate was issued, right?  If so, you will need a new one.

 

As long as it is the right type of certificate (i.e., the form/style/issuing authority listed in the State Department info) and you have not set foot back in Singapore since it was issued, it will likely be okay, but could be questioned.

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

16 minutes ago, jan22 said:

You didn't return to India to live, but you did return to India since the certificate was issued, right?  If so, you will need a new one.

 

As long as it is the right type of certificate (i.e., the form/style/issuing authority listed in the State Department info) and you have not set foot back in Singapore since it was issued, it will likely be okay, but could be questioned.

Appreciate your opinion....

 

Getting a new Police clearance from India will take me 8 weeks. A new one from Singapore will take me about 13 weeks (And I can’t apply for it until I can provide a letter/ document from the US consulate that it is required) We have received our i130 approval Last week and awaiting the transfer to NVC, and would like to submit DS-260 and all supporting documents ASAP. Waiting for new police certificates will almost certainly delay our timeline. Here’s what I was thinking to do:

 

Apply for new police certificates from both India and Singapore as soon as possible. It will in all probability not arrive before we receive our NVC case number. In that case, we intend to submit the DS-260 and upload the old police certificates as supporting documents. If NVC accepts the old certificates and clears our case, that’s well and good. If not, they will ask for new certificates and we would have them or it would be on it’s way. We would also carry the new certificates to the consulate for interview just Incase we encounter any issues there. 
 

Do you think this would work? This strategy helps to optimise the timeline. Or Do you think we should rather avoid an RFE at DS-260 by waiting to submit until after our new police certificates arrive?

 

[payxibka 10,045]

Covid had impacted your timeline much more than a PC.

[jan22 3,053]

I doubt that waiting until you have the new certificates will delay your timeline much at all -- especially the one from India, which it is clear you  need.   (NVC might cIear the Singapore one, but it would be good to have a new one ready for the interview, just in case.)  If you wait for NVC to request the new India PC, you lose the time between when they request it and you get the notification, the time needed to send it and have them receive it, and the time it takes until they get back to your case to review your submission -- all that could easily add up to the 8 weeks or so you said it would take to get the new one, and might take even more than that 8 weeks, which would defeat your purpose.

 

There is such a backlog of cases that need to be cleared before yours would be scheduled for an Interview that a couple weeks difference won't be more than a blip in the timeline.

Edited February 14, 2021 by jan22

[From_CAN_2_US 1,106]

3 minutes ago, jan22 said:

I doubt that waiting until you have the new certificates will delay your timeline much at all -- especially the one from India, which it is clear you  need.   (NVC might cIear the Singapore one, but it would be good to have a new one ready for the interview, just in case.)  If you wait for NVC to request the new India PC, you lose the time between when they request it and you get the notification, the time needed to send it and have them receive it, and the time it takes until they get back to your case to review your submission -- all that could easily add up to the 8 weeks or so you said it would take to get the new one. 

 

There is such a backlog of cases that need to be cleared before yours would be scheduled for an Interview that a couple weeks difference won't be more than a blip in the timeline.

Thanks for the considered response. So, from what I am reading, you are suggesting to wait to submit until I receive the new Indian PC, but submit the old Singapore PC and have a new one ready for the interview.

[jan22 3,053]

2 minutes ago, From_CAN_2_US said:

Thanks for the considered response. So, from what I am reading, you are suggesting to wait to submit until I receive the new Indian PC, but submit the old Singapore PC and have a new one ready for the interview.

At a minimum, yes.  If you want to be completely sure there will be no question/delay at NVC, I would suggest you wait until you get the new Singapore one also.  I don't know how NVC will react to a statement that the Singapore certificate is only for use in Canada.