is a police report needed for full time student

[Headingbackhome 0]

I am petitioning for my wife doing a DFC.

I thought I had my wife's police report requirement taken care of when I remembered that she attended a university in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between 2000 and 2005. She was there strictly as a student and has 5 annual student visas in her old passport. At that time, she had very little money so she could only leave Turkish Cyprus 2 times so except for 3 month she was there 4 1/2 years. Being a full time student, will she still be required to show a police report from there?

[hellraiser 42]

If you stay in a country for the given number of years (per USCIS and DOHS), you will need to submit police clearance/verification certificate from that country. You mY or may not hear questions on that in subsequent stages but there is a large possibility that you may get a RFE (request for evidence) for not providing it. I

I would suggest if you can, send it.

[Harpa Timsah 13,259]

Yes, her student status makes no difference. She needs a police cert.

[Headingbackhome 0]

I called USCIS just before and spoke to officer. She did qualify her answer by saying, this was not required by USCIS but the State department. She was of the opinion that they would not ask for any police certificate past 5 years. Perhaps she knows that the G-325A form only asks for residence and employment for the last 5 years and that might be the case for police certificates as well. What if someone over 46 yo and has lived in 1/2 a dozen or more countries in the last 30 years with no criminal records what so ever. Getting police certificates would be a time consuming and costly task to achieve.

[NikLR 13,232]

The USCIS person was right about one thing, this is not their issue, it is a DOS issue.

Please spend some time on the NVC website. Anywhere a person has lived over the age of 16 for more than 1 year needs a police certificate of one is available. The availability, and how to get one if they are, is on the NVC website under the reciprocity table.

[Headingbackhome 0]

The USCIS person was right about one thing, this is not their issue, it is a DOS issue.

Please spend some time on the NVC website. Anywhere a person has lived over the age of 16 for more than 1 year needs a police certificate of one is available. The availability, and how to get one if they are, is on the NVC website under the reciprocity table.

I previously checked that table but North Cyprus was not listed but I just retrieved Cyprus and towards the end of their page there is some reciprocity information about the Turkish Cipriot section of the island so thanks for that.

I guess I'll try to contact DOS to find out how far back a police certificate has to be gotten.

[Headingbackhome 0]

As far as the seriousness of these police certificates, I find it amazing that someone who wants to get a GC overseas has to go through cart wheels especially if they haven't been in some country for many years, but if that same person enters the US on a tourist visa, then decides to stay (innocently or not) and apply for an AOS, they would not need to go through this requirement.

[NikLR 13,232]

How is this helpful for this thread?

I assume everyone who does AOS is innocent of any fraud. Innocent until proven guilty, that sort of thing.

Most likely if a person has not been to a country since they lived there, and have a police certificate from that country from that period, they probably do not need a new one since nothing will have changed.

You only need a police certificate from another country if you lived there for 1 year or more after the age of 16. (k1 is different than CR1/IR1 for this)

Edited September 7, 2014 by NLR

[Headingbackhome 0]

How is this helpful for this thread?

I assume everyone who does AOS is innocent of any fraud. Innocent until proven guilty, that sort of thing.

Most likely if a person has not been to a country since they lived there, and have a police certificate from that country from that period, they probably do not need a new one since nothing will have changed.

You only need a police certificate from another country if you lived there for 1 year or more after the age of 16. (k1 is different than CR1/IR1 for this)

Yes, it doesn't necessarily help my thread but I wrote the information out of frustration.

I think you misunderstood my point.

Unless I read the AOS information incorrectly, there is no requirement for a police certificate while if the same person applied for an IR1/CR1 abroad they would be required to present a certificate if they lived in one or more countries after the age of 16 for more than a year.

[NikLR 13,232]

then decides to stay (innocently or not) and apply for an AOS

I was referring to the bolded statement, not to if an AOS needed police certificates.

Which is also not relevant to the conversation.

Edited September 7, 2014 by NLR

[Headingbackhome 0]

I was referring to the bolded statement, not to if an AOS needed police certificates.

Which is also not relevant to the conversation.

It was relevant to the further elaboration of the requirement or not of police certificates.

Perhaps if this was a court of law it wouldn't be.

Yes, I know this is not relevant as well. Thanks I got it.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Headingbackhome

[jan22 3,139]

I previously checked that table but North Cyprus was not listed but I just retrieved Cyprus and towards the end of their page there is some reciprocity information about the Turkish Cipriot section of the island so thanks for that.

I guess I'll try to contact DOS to find out how far back a police certificate has to be gotten.

You have to go back to when the person applying for the visa was 16, since the requirement is a police certificate for any country in which that person has lived for a year (or longer) since they were 16.

[Headingbackhome 0]

At what stage of the process does the applicant present or submit their police certificate? I would like to know when the certificate needs to be in my possession?

Edited September 10, 2014 by Headingbackhome

[Hollyday 122]

At what stage of the process does the applicant present or submit their police certificate? I would like to know when the certificate needs to be in my possession?

It's one of the documents you submit to the NVC in the second stage of the process (after USCIS approves the petition and hands the case over to them).

[Headingbackhome 0]

I have a followup question. I questioned my wife and it turns out she forgot that she left Northern Cyprus more than 2 times to take a short visits to Turkey during each summer vacation so even though she attended the university for 5 years she always there for less than 365 consecutive days.

Does she still need to provide a police report?