USEM, State Department, and "Expired" Police Clearance Certificates

[Jason and May 79]

Hi all, 

 

Over the two years or so I've been a member here, following different topics, I've seen the topic of police clearance certificates and expiration dates come up not infrequently—at least as memory serves. It seems I've usually read advice that police clearance certificates do not have an expiration date, provided you have not returned to the country of issuance since the PCC's issuance. As noted on the State Department's traveldocs site, the direction is pretty clear. 

 

However, as yet another cautionary tale, my wife had her IR1 interview on September 23rd, and she was given a 221(g) for an expired PCC. We're now in this endless loop of administrative processing, likely looking at a new medical exam, hopefully with no sputum flag, and hopefully USEM will respond before the updated PCC expires again. Some people are rolling on 3 months post-221(g) submission and still have no response.

 

Here's the thing, which others may have known but some didn't point out: On the traveldocs site, it does state that PCCs are valid for two years unless they are from a country of former residence and you have not returned there since they were issued. However, in the country-specific sections, if you don't read carefully, you might miss what I missed, which was written amongst all the text that Qatar PCCs expire after six months. Her PCC does have that written on it, but we assumed with advice from here and elsewhere, as well as the traveldocs directions, that it wouldn't be considered expired for the visa application process, particularly since she hadn't left the Philippines, let alone been back to Qatar. We thought it was bulletproof. 

 

So, I imagine this is how one Pilipina with an "expired" Qatar PCC could be two counters down from my wife and walk away with an "approval," while my wife and two other Pilipinas at her counter walked away with 221(g)s (theirs weren't from Qatar). 

 

There is zero consistency, and nothing is certain. 

 

Best of luck to everyone. I really do hope your journeys are less problematic than ours has been.