UK2USAA

Thanks for everyone's replies! Just waiting for the UK Police Certificate, then will send everything in and report back what happens in due course! If I can, I may start the South African one in the background in case they do insist. But at the moment the South African police website has been down since December by the looks of it. Just hoping the lack of anyone else seemingly asking about this specific scenario implies that they just file with current & post-16 countries as one would assume was logical, and the wording doesn't match what's being enforced 🤞.

Thank you so much for all the replies! Tthis has ended up quite the rollercoaster! I did subsequently find and try their Public Inquiry form, but despite explaining it very much as above received only the following "advice" back: "Greetings, Unfortunately, the National Visa Center cannot help with your email inquiry because we do not have enough information. Please visit our IV Helpful Hints page, which address common inquiries received at NVC. Additional information regarding the immigrant visa process can be found at https://travel.state.gov. Customer Service Representative I U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs National Visa Center LDRM" I did also find the attached guidance from PDFs from the US Embassies in Israel, and Malaysia, with other wording variants. More in keeping with how I'd assume it would logically be followed, namely the certificates only being required for countries in which one has lived in post-16 years old. I can't find anything about a deliberate policy change at least, but it's hard to be sure if these are deliberately different older wordings, country specific, or they've just not vetted wording changes on the main travel.state.gov site as you suggest. I certainly agree it'd make no sense to request! Given the timescales to get a South African police certificate for early childhood, it looks like it's probably best to proceed with the British one covering my whole life after 6 years old, and dealing with any requests should they arise?

I'll add my travel experience, with the I-130 filed and pending, I made three trips 2025, staying over a month each time, travelling on an ESTA from the UK. I have Global Entry so usually don't have to speak to anyone beyond to confirm foods I'm declaring. But on one trip the machines weren't working properly, so spoke to the officer as one normally would. He asked length of stay and reason for the visit. I told him to visit my spouse, he asked why we didn't live together and I explained we were waiting for the visa application. He asked who was moving where, and I told him I was moving to the US. The officer stamped my passport and I was on my way 😀. Additionally, on one trip we went over the land border to Mexico for a week. Returning using the regular lanes at the border itself. There they simply took my passport briefly to scan/swipe, and asked whether I was visiting, and where I was leaving from, and that was that, we were waived through. No further questions, despite travelling with my US spouse. At the security checkpoint a short way inland, they asked only my mode of travel authorisation. I told them ESTA Visa Waiver and they were happy once again.

Thank you so much for replying so fast! 😄 This sounds very encouraging then. Just to be sure, regardless of nationalities, they're only requiring police clearance certificates for countries that one lived in over the age of 16? In my case that was only the UK the whole time. So no South African certificate required even if I'm a citizen there still, as I've not been in the country at all since I was 6 years old 🙏

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but I've seen conflicting guidance online! I was born in South Africa, where I lived until I left for the United Kingdom when I was 6 years old, and acquired British Citizenship a few years thereafter. I have resided in the United Kingdom ever since. I presume I've retained South African citizenship, and would be dual-national, though I only hold a current British passport. I haven't been back to South Africa since I left. I've now had my I-130 approved and it's moved to the NVC, where I'll need to upload the civic documents. I'll of course need a UK Police Clearance Certificate, but do I also need one for South Africa? South Africa would be considerably more difficult as their police website which you need to apply through doesn't appear to have been working recently. If anyone knows definitively, how additional nationalities, while under 16 are treated, are treated it would be hugely appreciated!