Police Certificate No Live Trace delayed our approval

[Mimiso 59]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our K1 Visa was approved today, a week after my fiancé had his interview, but I thought I’d share his experience with what happened so others could be prepared.

 

We thought we had everything we needed at the interview but was not aware that having the “no live trace” on the police certificate would pose problems at the interview. We didn’t read the embassy website carefully enough.

 

Anyways, my fiancé had a caution given to him when he was a teen, and the person interviewing him told him they needed to check this out. At the interview, he was given the 221(g) form with instructions to call ACRO and write down what the cautions were given for, and to email that to the embassy. He also had to tell ACRO to give the embassy permission to call to verify. My fiancé did this shortly after he left the interview. 

 

In addition, he requested a subject access request (SAR) on the ACRO website and went to his local police station to get copies of statements made at the time the cautions were given. He then emailed the embassy a few days after the interview to see if what he sent them in his email was adequate. He received a generic reply that they will contact him, but even with the visa issued today, he has not received any further email from the embassy regarding the matter, and he has not yet received the SAR or the statements from the police station. 

 

 Check your police certificates, and if it says “no live trace” on there, it would probably be a good idea to order a subject access request (SAR) through the ACRO website a few months before the interview, and perhaps get copies of statements made to the police at your local police station regarding the incident that took place. This may possibly prevent receiving a 221(g) and a delay, or at least shorten the delay some. The SAR is free to request and can take up to a month to receive. Same with the police statements. 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by Mimiso

[DEVnAJAY 3]

I am new to VJ and have scanned the boards, I am not sure where to post my query.

 

My fiance worked in Lagos Nigeria in 2012. We have researched how to obtain a PCC without a Nigerian contact, but to no avail. I found on VJ a person who states that if it is not obtainable for a vaild reason it would not be required.

Currently travel and more to Nigeria :

at level 3 security threat, per US State dept.

must have letter of invite for visa

quoted cost for PCC over $2000

State Dept quotes fraudulent activity for documents 

S.D. quotes paper logs in Nigeria and no digital system

S.D. advises get while still living in country

S.D. mail is not a reliable avenue for request

Who has experience with getting a PCC from Nigeria AFTER leaving  the country and returning to their homeland?

Thanks

D&A

 

[Zoeeeeeee 795]

5 hours ago, DEVnAJAY said:

I am new to VJ and have scanned the boards, I am not sure where to post my query.

 

My fiance worked in Lagos Nigeria in 2012. We have researched how to obtain a PCC without a Nigerian contact, but to no avail. I found on VJ a person who states that if it is not obtainable for a vaild reason it would not be required.

Currently travel and more to Nigeria :

at level 3 security threat, per US State dept.

must have letter of invite for visa

quoted cost for PCC over $2000

State Dept quotes fraudulent activity for documents 

S.D. quotes paper logs in Nigeria and no digital system

S.D. advises get while still living in country

S.D. mail is not a reliable avenue for request

Who has experience with getting a PCC from Nigeria AFTER leaving  the country and returning to their homeland?

Thanks

D&A

 

You need to post on the African sub-forum -https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/89-africa-sub-saharan/

 

It’s unlikely anyone in the UK forum will have experience of getting a police certificate from Nigeria.

 

Good luck.

[DEVnAJAY 3]

Ty, I thought it was wrong country forum.

[Charlee.Alex 48]

On 8/19/2019 at 11:57 PM, Mimiso said:

Hi Everyone,

 

Our K1 Visa was approved today, a week after my fiancé had his interview, but I thought I’d share his experience with what happened so others could be prepared.

 

We thought we had everything we needed at the interview but was not aware that having the “no live trace” on the police certificate would pose problems at the interview. We didn’t read the embassy website carefully enough.

 

Anyways, my fiancé had a caution given to him when he was a teen, and the person interviewing him told him they needed to check this out. At the interview, he was given the 221(g) form with instructions to call ACRO and write down what the cautions were given for, and to email that to the embassy. He also had to tell ACRO to give the embassy permission to call to verify. My fiancé did this shortly after he left the interview. 

 

In addition, he requested a subject access request (SAR) on the ACRO website and went to his local police station to get copies of statements made at the time the cautions were given. He then emailed the embassy a few days after the interview to see if what he sent them in his email was adequate. He received a generic reply that they will contact him, but even with the visa issued today, he has not received any further email from the embassy regarding the matter, and he has not yet received the SAR or the statements from the police station. 

 

 Check your police certificates, and if it says “no live trace” on there, it would probably be a good idea to order a subject access request (SAR) through the ACRO website a few months before the interview, and perhaps get copies of statements made to the police at your local police station regarding the incident that took place. This may possibly prevent receiving a 221(g) and a delay, or at least shorten the delay some. The SAR is free to request and can take up to a month to receive. Same with the police statements. 

 

This is a situation I’m scared of. 

 

Im the beneficiary from the uk and I have a reprimand (caution for under 18s) that I got when I was 14 for shoplifting. I know it will show as no live trace on the ACRO which I did last night, so I also did a SAR at the same time. 

 

Seriously stressing that I’m going to get denied over this. 

[Richard Purves 58]

18 hours ago, Charlee.Alex said:

This is a situation I’m scared of. 

 

Im the beneficiary from the uk and I have a reprimand (caution for under 18s) that I got when I was 14 for shoplifting. I know it will show as no live trace on the ACRO which I did last night, so I also did a SAR at the same time. 

 

Seriously stressing that I’m going to get denied over this. 

Not necessarily. There were a completely different set of record retention rules prior to 2006, and old stuff from childhood would get "weeded out" after five years. Good chance that a combination of that and some really bad record transfer from local police forces to the police national computer means you'll get a "No Trace" instead.

 

UK governments have been messing with the retention rules on/off since 2006. Now local police forces keep local records and old non serious stuff on the PNC is "stepped down" instead hence the "No Live Trace" message.

 

If you're really concerned then talk to David Wacks solicitors. He's based in Manchester and an expert on this stuff.