K1 Interview- 221g, expired Police Clearance Qatar

[Kristine and Jan 0]

My fiance in Philippines had his interview Oct 1 in Manila Embassy. Everything went smooth with the exception of, his PCC Qatar is expired. He exited Qatar in 2018 and we got the PCC in 12/2022. Consul saying it's expired, but if you look at the note on the travel state gov website it says, Police Clearance are valid 2 years if they are not living abroad. They took his 2022 expired PCC, and gave him 221g. I know they looked at the expiry date 2022 but what about the 2 years PC if not residing in abroad? 

[OldUser 6,559]

8 minutes ago, Kristine and Jan said:

My fiance in Philippines had his interview Oct 1 in Manila Embassy. Everything went smooth with the exception of, his PCC Qatar is expired. He exited Qatar in 2018 and we got the PCC in 12/2022. Consul saying it's expired, but if you look at the note on the travel state gov website it says, Police Clearance are valid 2 years if they are not living abroad. They took his 2022 expired PCC, and gave him 221g. I know they looked at the expiry date 2022 but what about the 2 years PC if not residing in abroad? 

It would be harder to prove you can use it VS getting a new one.

[Boiler 45,411]

I am not sure what your question is, if that is what it says I have no reason to believe it is not the case.

[Kristine and Jan 0]

44 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I am not sure what your question is, if that is what it says I have no reason to believe it is not the case.

I could've been more clear-

 

I am seeking on how we can acquire PCC while he's in the Philippines.

[appleblossom 2,394]

21 minutes ago, Irish Kristine said:

I could've been more clear-

 

I am seeking on how we can acquire PCC while he's in the Philippines.

 

Details of how to apply from outside the country are on the country specific guidelines - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Qatar.html

 

 

[Kristine and Jan 0]

Just now, appleblossom said:

 

Details of how to apply from outside the country are on the country specific guidelines - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Qatar.html

 

 

Based from my understanding, I can send them right away to Qatar as long as documents are complete? I don't need any 3rd party to send those documents?

[appleblossom 2,394]

3 minutes ago, Irish Kristine said:

Based from my understanding, I can send them right away to Qatar as long as documents are complete? I don't need any 3rd party to send those documents?

 

It doesn't say so on the country specific guidelines, but have you checked the link to the Qatari authority given in them? That should tell you for sure. 

[top_secret 2,387]

4 hours ago, Irish Kristine said:

My fiance in Philippines had his interview Oct 1 in Manila Embassy. Everything went smooth with the exception of, his PCC Qatar is expired. He exited Qatar in 2018 and we got the PCC in 12/2022. Consul saying it's expired, but if you look at the note on the travel state gov website it says, Police Clearance are valid 2 years if they are not living abroad. They took his 2022 expired PCC, and gave him 221g. I know they looked at the expiry date 2022 but what about the 2 years PC if not residing in abroad? 

 

 

Unfortunately, this is the second recent occurrence of EXACTLY the same problem from US Embassy Manila.  Probably the same consul? @Jason and May are dealing with exactly the same 221g right now.  It might be worthwhile to compare notes.

[Kristine and Jan 0]

37 minutes ago, top_secret said:

 

 

Unfortunately, this is the second recent occurrence of EXACTLY the same problem from US Embassy Manila.  Probably the same consul? @Jason and May are dealing with exactly the same 221g right now.  It might be worthwhile to compare notes.

I've actually read their post about it. Been trying to search how to get PCC without flying to Qatar, cause most of the people I've asked, flew to Qatar just to get the PCC. It's just sad that we had to go through this process. 

[Jason and May 79]

4 hours ago, Irish Kristine said:

I've actually read their post about it. Been trying to search how to get PCC without flying to Qatar, cause most of the people I've asked, flew to Qatar just to get the PCC. It's just sad that we had to go through this process. 

We were fortunate enough that my wife's former employer in Qatar offered to act as her personal representative to retrieve her PCC for her. We had already submitted the application materials through DHL, but then we decide to contact her former employer. The family really liked her and had wanted her to return to work for them again before she and I decided to pursue a relationship. At any rate, once the application showed as received in Qatar, we sent her former employer the affidavit authorizing him to act on her behalf--actually, he had assigned it to one of his employees, but.... They had it within a day, and shipped it to her COD. 

 

If you can't do something like that, your other option is to contract one of the agencies in Qatar that offers this service. I read about one that seemed legit and had some reviews in a group I'm part of, but it cost about as much as a plane ticket to Qatar, and I didn't trust the reviews weren't fake. 

The only other option, so far as I'm aware, is to make the application and wait out the long process. 

My wife's issue was the same as your husbands: She got her PCC in August 2023. Her visa stamps and immigration record show she has not left the Philippinnes since 2022. She was at window 68 on 09/23/24 for her interview. Tall, light-skinned Asian guy, she said. Polite, but firm. She tried to explain that she only followed with the State Department's website said, following all the rules. And he told her PCC document cannot be expired. 
 

That Monday, I consulted an immigration attorney, ready to pay a retainer to sue the State Department and USEM. He told me that if my wife wanted her visa she had to do what the consular officer told her to do, even if it is directly contrary to what the State Department says about PCCs. 

 

I also contacted my senator's office. They told me they are aware of "widespread abuse at the consular level worldwide," but there's nothing they can do about it. 

 

The attorney said once a consular officer has made a decision, unless it is a "flagrant abuse of power," those decisions are almost never reversed.

 

I contacted USEM, sending them the snip from the USCIS field manual that discusses PCCs and also the snip from the traveldocs civil document reciprocity site, my wife's visa stamps, and her immigration record (showing she has not left PHILS since 2022). They responded that in order for her visa to be issued she has to produce an unexpired PCC...and then directed me to the civil documents reciprocity site that says PCCs don't expire if they were issued from a country of former residence and you have not been back there since it was issued. 

 

At this point, with me pointing out the obvious from their own field manual and the SD's website and them sending me back a garbage response directing me to the same website that says the PCC isn't expired, it just seems like they either just don't care because no one can or will do anything or they are so inept it's more mindboggling than I had thought. 

I suppose maybe it really does just come down to consular officer discretion and what I say are "rules" are actually just guidelines, and if he wants a document that does not say "expired," then he can make you get a document that's not expired. But then they should put something in their preinterview checklist so people can make an informed decision as to what they want to do: Shoot the dice with an expired PCC or try to get an "unexpired" PCC prior to the interview. Because they are making decisions that affect people's lives: My wife's medical was July 15. She got her IL 08/01. Her interview was scheduled for 09/23. If Qatar took 3 months to get her PCC to her, then we're in the end of December. How long will USEM take to review and issue the visa? So that means we're playing around with another medical so her visa won't expire.... Absolutely ridiculous. And even having been fortunate with getting the PCC so quickly, we're still just waiting out USEM, who can take up to 180 days or more to decide what they want to do. 

[Kristine and Jan 0]

9 hours ago, Jason and May said:

We were fortunate enough that my wife's former employer in Qatar offered to act as her personal representative to retrieve her PCC for her. We had already submitted the application materials through DHL, but then we decide to contact her former employer. The family really liked her and had wanted her to return to work for them again before she and I decided to pursue a relationship. At any rate, once the application showed as received in Qatar, we sent her former employer the affidavit authorizing him to act on her behalf--actually, he had assigned it to one of his employees, but.... They had it within a day, and shipped it to her COD. 

 

If you can't do something like that, your other option is to contract one of the agencies in Qatar that offers this service. I read about one that seemed legit and had some reviews in a group I'm part of, but it cost about as much as a plane ticket to Qatar, and I didn't trust the reviews weren't fake. 

The only other option, so far as I'm aware, is to make the application and wait out the long process. 

My wife's issue was the same as your husbands: She got her PCC in August 2023. Her visa stamps and immigration record show she has not left the Philippinnes since 2022. She was at window 68 on 09/23/24 for her interview. Tall, light-skinned Asian guy, she said. Polite, but firm. She tried to explain that she only followed with the State Department's website said, following all the rules. And he told her PCC document cannot be expired. 
 

That Monday, I consulted an immigration attorney, ready to pay a retainer to sue the State Department and USEM. He told me that if my wife wanted her visa she had to do what the consular officer told her to do, even if it is directly contrary to what the State Department says about PCCs. 

 

I also contacted my senator's office. They told me they are aware of "widespread abuse at the consular level worldwide," but there's nothing they can do about it. 

 

The attorney said once a consular officer has made a decision, unless it is a "flagrant abuse of power," those decisions are almost never reversed.

 

I contacted USEM, sending them the snip from the USCIS field manual that discusses PCCs and also the snip from the traveldocs civil document reciprocity site, my wife's visa stamps, and her immigration record (showing she has not left PHILS since 2022). They responded that in order for her visa to be issued she has to produce an unexpired PCC...and then directed me to the civil documents reciprocity site that says PCCs don't expire if they were issued from a country of former residence and you have not been back there since it was issued. 

 

At this point, with me pointing out the obvious from their own field manual and the SD's website and them sending me back a garbage response directing me to the same website that says the PCC isn't expired, it just seems like they either just don't care because no one can or will do anything or they are so inept it's more mindboggling than I had thought. 

I suppose maybe it really does just come down to consular officer discretion and what I say are "rules" are actually just guidelines, and if he wants a document that does not say "expired," then he can make you get a document that's not expired. But then they should put something in their preinterview checklist so people can make an informed decision as to what they want to do: Shoot the dice with an expired PCC or try to get an "unexpired" PCC prior to the interview. Because they are making decisions that affect people's lives: My wife's medical was July 15. She got her IL 08/01. Her interview was scheduled for 09/23. If Qatar took 3 months to get her PCC to her, then we're in the end of December. How long will USEM take to review and issue the visa? So that means we're playing around with another medical so her visa won't expire.... Absolutely ridiculous. And even having been fortunate with getting the PCC so quickly, we're still just waiting out USEM, who can take up to 180 days or more to decide what they want to do. 

When you sent an authorization letter in Qatar allowing the former employer to get the PCC, did you have the letter notarized or something?

[Jason and May 79]

2 hours ago, Irish Kristine said:

When you sent an authorization letter in Qatar allowing the former employer to get the PCC, did you have the letter notarized or something?

Yes, she did get it notarized, just to be safe. 

[Kristine and Jan 0]

Update 10/15/2024

 

My fiancé flew to Qatar himself and got the PCC. We were supposed to send our relative in Qatar a SPA to get the PCC for us, but then we weren't sure if we'll get it or not. So we decided to apply for a Tourist Visa and in a day or two we got the PCC and had it stamped to MOFA.