How or where do I obtain a police certificate ?

[melissa-n-alfredo 10]

I am curious as to where to obtain police certificate for both my fiance and I. The main issue also being that fiance was illegally residing in the US, without any social security number or anything for nearly 8 years. He has since returned to Mexico, never being detained or arrested. I did state on the initial application that he was previously in US, being the question was specifically asked. It says that I must obtain police certificates for any country that we both have lived for more than 6 months. So, being that is required, how do I obtain those? Especially here in the US for both myself and my fiance, even though he is no longer here. Please help!!!

[beejay 123]

You do not need one for the U.S. They do their own checks. As for Mexico the Department of State website says they are "unavailable" so it looks like you won't need that one either but I would wait for another member who has gone through Mexico to confirm.

Good luck.

Since your fiance has illegal presence in the US have you checked out immigrate2us.net? It's also an immigration forum similar to this one but most of the members there are dealing with illegal presence and they might be able to help you better as you get further along in this process.

[melissa-n-alfredo 10]

You do not need one for the U.S. They do their own checks. As for Mexico the Department of State website says they are "unavailable" so it looks like you won't need that one either but I would wait for another member who has gone through Mexico to confirm.

Good luck.

Since your fiance has illegal presence in the US have you checked out immigrate2us.net? It's also an immigration forum similar to this one but most of the members there are dealing with illegal presence and they might be able to help you better as you get further along in this process.

Thank you for your response, that relieves some of my stress. And all of the info was very useful! I have reviewed the website, and with his unlawful presence we will need to file a waiver I-601 after his visa is denied thru the consulate. It will then be another long process, fees and wait game to have the waiver approved. Recently, I would have been able to file this waiver in Mexico at the time of interview to speed the process. But as of Dec. 5th 2012 that is no longer an option It must be sent directly to USCIS Phoenix lockbox, and only approved thru their office. I have researched so much, my brain is crammed lol. But I feel this particular page that we are on, seems to be one of the most helpful.

[Altair17 9]

I'd advise you to double check with other Mexico couples, as lack of certificate will deny a visa.

I know for sure Russia needs that, and it took about 3-4 weeks to get it.

[melissa-n-alfredo 10]

I'd advise you to double check with other Mexico couples, as lack of certificate will deny a visa.

I know for sure Russia needs that, and it took about 3-4 weeks to get it.

Thank you I know there is still time, being that I have just submitted the I-129F application November 20th 2012. So I am still in early stages of this But so glad to have found this particular website to help me along the way. I will try to contact some of the Mexican couples and see what I can find. Also hoping to get more responses here on the forum too. The more advice and experiences of others, will help me tremendously.

[beejay 123]

I'd advise you to double check with other Mexico couples, as lack of certificate will deny a visa.

I know for sure Russia needs that, and it took about 3-4 weeks to get it.

A lack of police cert will cause a delay in a visa not a denial. Every consulate is different so what happened in Russia may not be true for Mexico and I'm pretty sure Mexico is one where a police cert is not needed. DOS (Department of State Reciprocity Table) and anecdotal evidence from this site seem to confirm that but it is agreed OP should wait for someone who has gone through Ciudad Juarez for confirmation.

Thank you for your response, that relieves some of my stress. And all of the info was very useful! I have reviewed the website, and with his unlawful presence we will need to file a waiver I-601 after his visa is denied thru the consulate. It will then be another long process, fees and wait game to have the waiver approved. Recently, I would have been able to file this waiver in Mexico at the time of interview to speed the process. But as of Dec. 5th 2012 that is no longer an option It must be sent directly to USCIS Phoenix lockbox, and only approved thru their office. I have researched so much, my brain is crammed lol. But I feel this particular page that we are on, seems to be one of the most helpful.

You are in for long process and I'm sure over time all the different steps will become more clear. I hope you joined immigrate2us as I think they will be invaluable to you. It is my (possibly wrong) understanding that the lockbox filing of the waiver, when it starts, will be faster than the previous process as I believe you will be able to submit your waiver prior to your interview. GlobehopperMama is a member on this site with vast knowledge on the waiver process and CDJ (among other things) any posts you come across of hers you can be sure are offering valuable advice. Good luck reuniting your family and I hope you can get some more responses.

[melissa-n-alfredo 10]

You are in for long process and I'm sure over time all the different steps will become more clear. I hope you joined immigrate2us as I think they will be invaluable to you. It is my (possibly wrong) understanding that the lockbox filing of the waiver, when it starts, will be faster than the previous process as I believe you will be able to submit your waiver prior to your interview. GlobehopperMama is a member on this site with vast knowledge on the waiver process and CDJ (among other things) any posts you come across of hers you can be sure are offering valuable advice. Good luck reuniting your family and I hope you can get some more responses.

[/quote

Yes, I agree, I'm in for a very long process. The fiance visa is a long process alone, but adding the waiver on top of that, is going to be even longer I considered not disclosing that information (that he had indeed been here in the US) being he was never detained or arrested, so really having no other proof of his illegal entry other than own admission. But I feared that if it in fact was discovered before or during the interview, it could cause him to permanently be banned. Plus possibly fines or arrest, so of course that is not something I wanted to risk (after weighing the case). Honesty, may cause us a longer road, but hopefully a better outcome. And from what I gather, the waiver can't be filed until after the interview, and visa is denied because of illegal presence in the US. Congress is working on a reform, to change that. Who knows when or if it will pass. But at this time, without a denial, the waiver can't be processed. And it further states that if a waiver is submitted before the actual denial, that the waiver will also in fact be denied. The waiver fee alone is $585 dollars. So, I don't want to send them that kind of money, only to be a certain denial. Hopefully, the reform will take place before I reach the interview stage. Mexico actually had a higher rate of approvals, on the waivers, than most countries. It was a 2 tier process, and sometimes the waivers were actually granted immediately, with proper documents needed. But now having to send to the lockbox in US, it is usually a 3-4 month wait, or possibly as long as 1 year, depending on the case or caseloads of the official But if the reform isn't approved before I am scheduled for interview, there isn't much choice for me. I am glad to know the reform is actually in progress though. Even if it doesn't specifically help me, it will help ones who apply later. This whole journey is so hard on all the couples going thru it. I will most definitely join the other website you mentioned, cause any help that I can get, will only make our case much stronger. I am working on this daily, and will not give up, til I have all the answers I need. And then hopefully, I can help others like you are helping me

[beejay 123]

I think you made a smart choice to not lie. It could have, as you said, had some very serious and permanent consequences that even if not caught at the interview could come back to jeopardize your future husband's legal status, even after citizenship. It is a longer road but it will leave both of you without any worries about his legal status. You also might want to check out Attorney Laurel Scott's weekly immigration chats. They are held online every week and people can post their immigration questions and Laurel Scott will answer them. Past chat transcripts are also available on the immigrate2us website and I believe you can post questions for the chats there also. Good luck again and I look forward to the day when you are back here or on i2us using your expertise gained through experience to help someone else.

[P A U L 14]

regardless of what the Department of State Reciprocity Table says i would do everything in my power to get the police certificate.

go find your local consulate/embassy of the foreign country you've lived in and talk to them. most likely they have paperwork you fill out to have that retrieved for you from the foreign countries.

for South Korea, on that DOS Table, it says unavailable to people not present in Korea. yet, if you go to any Korean consulate, they will retrieve it for you at no cost, just requires minor legwork. i've emailed the Korean consulate in Los Angeles and Russia and they both emailed me the same application, but with different instructions. one consulate requested 2 passport photos, whereas the other requested 1; etc.

[melissa-n-alfredo 10]

regardless of what the Department of State Reciprocity Table says i would do everything in my power to get the police certificate.

go find your local consulate/embassy of the foreign country you've lived in and talk to them. most likely they have paperwork you fill out to have that retrieved for you from the foreign countries.

for South Korea, on that DOS Table, it says unavailable to people not present in Korea. yet, if you go to any Korean consulate, they will retrieve it for you at no cost, just requires minor legwork. i've emailed the Korean consulate in Los Angeles and Russia and they both emailed me the same application, but with different instructions. one consulate requested 2 passport photos, whereas the other requested 1; etc.

Thank you, that seems to be some very good advice. Guess it never hurts, trying to be over-prepared. If it is in fact unavailable, atleast I would know that for sure and not risk a RFE on the case.