Foreign police certificate - when applying not from home country

[BBGG 59]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm applying for K1 visa in the UK, so this may sound like a topic for United Kingdom regional forum, but I guess I have a better chance to get comments from those who are applying for US visas not from home countries here in the general K1 forum.

 

 

I am a Russian citizen, and I'm applying for K1 visa in London. I'm in the UK on a 3-year work visa.

 

For my K1 visa, I need to provide two police certificates as since I was 16 I resided for more then 6 months in two countries: the UK and Russia (my country of nationality).

 

UK police certificate (ACRO certificate) is not an issue, I got it.

 

But I got a few questions on the Russian police certificate.

 

 

So, first of all, the "mother of all" list of K1 visa documents on the London US embassy site says:

 

Police Certificates for Other Cuntries (if applicable)

 

Required for all countries where you have lived for more than 6 months since the age of 16 and any country where you have been arrested, even if you were not resident there.  U.S. police certificates are not required. Police certificates from certain countries (http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country.html) are unavailable or are obtained directly by this office. Fingerprints are required for certain countries. A list of UK police stations who can provide fingerprinting services is available from the Embassy website, here. (PDF – 337kb) Foreign police certificates are valid indefinitely, unless you have returned to reside in that country or has been arrested since the issuance of the certificate

 

 

On June 21, 2019 I got from Russia the exact document («Police Clearance») described on the above mentioned Reciprocity by Country site for Russian Federation (aka Russia):

 

Russian Federation 

Reciprocity Schedule

Police Certificates / Prison Records

Available

…

Document Name: СПРАВКА (Police Clearance)

Issuing Authority: Ministry of the Interior

Special Seal(s) / Color / Format: Original police certificate will have the stamp of the issuing MVD office and the signature of the official

Issuing Authority Personnel Title:  There is no issuing authority personnel title

Registration Criteria: There are no registration criteria

…

Comments: Send a copy of the police certificate to the National Visa Center.

...

 

I also had this document translated into English and certified by the translator in the UK.

 

 

My question #1:

 

Can I be sure just from this Reciprocity by Country site text that I do not need fingerprints in the UK, and do not need my Russian police certificate to be "obtained directly by this office" (as mentioned on the London US embassy site)?

 

Can I be sure that all I need is to bring the original Russian police certificate and the translation of this document to my K1 interview?

 

 

My question #2:

 

The Reciprocity by Country site states:

 

Send a copy of the police certificate to the National Visa Center

 

Does this mean I really need to go ahead and send the copy of the Russian police certificate to the NVC in the US before my K1 visa interview (not to the London US embassy that is conducting my interview)?

 

 

My question #3:

 

Travel.state.gov site says:

 

Important: Police certificates expire after one year, unless the certificate was issued from your country of previous residence and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued.

 

London UK embassy site says:

 

Foreign police certificates are valid indefinitely, unless you have returned to reside in that country or has been arrested since the issuance of the certificate.

 

 

The matter is that site 1 above says «you have not returned there since» and site 2 says «unless you have returned to reside». 

 

My Russian police certificate was issued on June 21, 2019, I visited Russia for four days on July 4-7, 2019. I did not come back to live there, just visited. 

 

Does this mean that my Russian police certificate has gone invalid?

 

Or since I only visited Russia for 4 days after my certificate was issued (did not go back to reside), I have nothing to worry about and my certificate is still valid?

 

 

 

Thoughts and personal experience are very, very welcome.

[BBGG 59]

For the Question #3, I guess I did not read it correctly. 

 

Looks like the meaning is that the certificate is good for one year, then the statements list some conditions for an exception to that rule. But my situation doesn't qualify for those exceptions (I DID return to that country), so my certificate will only be good for one year.

• The certificate is good for 1 year if you went back to the country that issued the certificate after the certificate was issued.
• The certificate is good forever if you did not go back to that country since the certificate was issued.

So in my case the certificate is good for 1 year.

Also, I guess, there is possibility that my return will not be qualified as a "return to reside", in this case even better, my certificate will be good forever.

 

Hope I'm getting it right this time with the Question #3.

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

Q1, they will request biometric testing when the time comes, I believe this occurs in the US after entry on k1 before AOS

Q2 send a copy of both originals, including any translation for the Russian one

Q3 both are valid for 1 year since you are still an official resident of Russia who is on a non-immigration visa in the uk and both expire if you commit a crime before the one year issue date.. the travel between both countries doesn’t matter, unless you commit a crime in either one of the countries 

 

the Russian one would not expire if you had migrated to uk on immigration visa (not your case), You’ve not migrated to uk, you’re on temp work visa there. 

[BBGG 59]

@Duke & Marie, thanks a lot for the reply. Just a couple clarifications:

 

Q1: So, you advise that I just have my original and translation ready for the K1 interview? No other actions before the K1 interview?

Q2: The "Reciprocity by country" site does not clarify where exactly to send the police certificates at NVC, and whether those should be electronic copies or paper copies. Do you have any insight on this bit?

 

I'm happy to call NVC and find out more on that, just wanted to see what VJ users' experience is to ask more precise questions when calling NVC.

[payxibka 10,045]

5 minutes ago, BBGG said:

@Duke & Marie, thanks a lot for the reply. Just a couple clarifications:

 

Q1: So, you advise that I just have my original and translation ready for the K1 interview? No other actions before the K1 interview?

Q2: The "Reciprocity by country" site does not clarify where exactly to send the police certificates at NVC, and whether those should be electronic copies or paper copies. Do you have any insight on this bit?

 

I'm happy to call NVC and find out more on that, just wanted to see what VJ users' experience is to ask more precise questions when calling NVC.

A k1 sends nothing to NVC 

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

9 minutes ago, BBGG said:

@Duke & Marie, thanks a lot for the reply. Just a couple clarifications:

 

Q1: So, you advise that I just have my original and translation ready for the K1 interview? No other actions before the K1 interview?

Q2: The "Reciprocity by country" site does not clarify where exactly to send the police certificates at NVC, and whether those should be electronic copies or paper copies. Do you have any insight on this bit?

 

I'm happy to call NVC and find out more on that, just wanted to see what VJ users' experience is to ask more precise questions when calling NVC.

 

im not 100% familiar with k1 process, but I know for IR I’m not required to do fingerprints, even though like you require multiple police certificates... if they require biometrics they’ll request it..

Edited August 22, 2019 by Duke & Marie

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

2 minutes ago, payxibka said:

A k1 sends nothing to NVC 

There ya go 👆

[BBGG 59]

Thanks @payxibka and @Duke & Marie for the prompt replies, that is very helpful.

 

For my Q2 I indeed found this on the London US embassy site - K1 visa required documents:

 

Please do not submit any documents to NVC.

You are required to bring all of the documents applicable to you to the Embassy on the day of the interview.

 

Looks like I'm quite clear on the Q2 and Q3.

 

 

I'm still not 100% certain on the Q1:

 

 

Quote: Fingerprints are required for certain countries.

 

Why are they mentioning fingerprints at all?

Are they just stating that in some countries like Saudi Arabia or Australia you may need to be present in person and have your fingerprints taken when requesting the police clearance from this country?

I was just worried that I may need to have my fingerprints taken by the US embassy in the UK before the K1 interview to confirm my Russian police clearance.
I know for sure that you do not need to be present in person and do not need fingerprints to obtain a Russian police certificate when you apply for it in Russia.

US embassy in UK gives link to the US "Reciprocity by country" site, and the Reciprocity side does not mention any fingerprints for Russian police certificate.

 

Can I interpret absence of fingerprints mentioning on Reciprocity site as evidence that I do not need to have my fingerprints taken by the US embassy in London (where I apply for K1 visa) to prove my Russian police certificate?

 

 

Quote: Police certificates from certain countries are unavailable or are obtained directly by this office. 

 

What does this mean? In what cases would a US embassy try to obtain the police certificate directly from a foreign country?

On the "Reciprocity by country" site Russian police certificate is marked as "Available" and there is no mentioning that it may need to be obtained by the US embassy instead of the US visa applicants themselves.

But I'm not sure if the Reciprocity site is the place where such information would be specified, and if I can interpret the absence of this information on Reciprocity site as evidence that US embassy will not try to obtain the Russian police certificate themselves for me, and will not accept the one that I obtained myself for K1 visa interview.

Edited August 22, 2019 by BBGG

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

Welcome

Edited August 23, 2019 by Duke & Marie

[BBGG 59]

I called the US embassy in London today (tel. 020 7499 9000) just to get their input on the above questions, they said they don't answer questions about visas on the phone.

 

I then sent them an online request through https://uk.usembassy.gov/iv-contact/

 

I asked: 

 

"I'm a resident in the UK. I had lived in Russia previously.

I obtained the Russian police certificate on June 21, 2019. I visited Russia for business on July 4-7, 2019.

Is my Russian police certificate still valid for 1 year from the date if issue even though I visited Russia for business?"

 

They replied:

 

"Provide this certificate at your interview. If It is not sufficient, you will be informed at the time."

 

 

Not really helpful... If they "inform me during the interview" that it is not valid it will take me 30 days to issue a new one.

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by BBGG

[Hank_ 9,174]

I bet the little voice in your head is saying - get a new one.      I would listen ...   

[BBGG 59]

If only that was an easy thing to do 😂 Not that this is exactly what voice in my head is saying but point taken.

[BBGG 59]

Just got a reply from a US visa lawyer on Q3 (validity of the certificate):

 

The certificate that you have is good and valid to bring to the interview. 

[BBGG 59]

Update after my K1 visa interview on Sep 30:

I handed over my Russian police certificate (Issued on June 21, 2019) with a certified translation into English, it was accepted and raised no questions, visa was approved even though I have traveled to Russia twice between June 21 and Sep 30.