Hong Kong Police Clearance Problem

[Mar_Wil 12]

We seem to be having so many problems, this time it is with the Hong Kong Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC).

My wife went to banks in her area and none will issue her a bank draft in Hong Kong dollars as required by Hong Kong in order to apply for her Hong Kong Police clearance. She went to the usual ones listed here on VJ that would do this, most told her even if she had an account with them they did not like to do transactions and only wanted to do savings accounts now. Weird for bank to say that.

So we decided to have a friend in Hong Kong take my wife's application, fingerprints and all required documents to the Hong Kong Police station in Wan Chai as stated we could do on their official website for overseas applicants and as others here on VJ stated they did. We sent our friend money by Western Union for the fee, transportation expenses and extra for whatever, and all the documents required by FedEx.

This is a Quote from the Hong Kong police official website:

Notes to Overseas Applicants

The issuance of Certificates of No Criminal Conviction is a charged service provided by the Hong Kong Police Force which is solely in connection with a person's application for a visa to visit or reside in another country, or for adoption of children. Applications for the Certificate for any other purposes will not be accepted.

Application Procedures and Documentation Requirements

2. Applications should be made in writing to:

The Commissioner of Police

(Attn.: EO CNCC)

14/F, Arsenal House,

Police Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street,

Wan Chai, Hong Kong

3. Applicants may also arrange to hand in their application to the above quoted address or deposit their application into the drop-in box provided at the First Floor of the Arsenal House, Police Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street, Wanchai.

When our friend went there on Monday March 18, 2013 to hand them my wife's application, documents and pay the fee in cash they would not accept it and stated my wife either needed to bring the application and documents in person or send by registered mail.

Go figure?????

[Mar_Wil 12]

I posted this and could not append the post. I would like to add that our process has been ongoing since Feb 2011. Taking almost a year for my wife to go to court and get her birth certificate corrected. And every package we sent to NVC they misplaced some of the documents we sent and had to and having to still send some again as of this post. After 2 years of delays this is getting very frustrating.

[Ryan H 3,790]

Moved from Bringing Family Members of US Citizens to America forum to IR-1/CR-1 Progress Reports.

[Jawaree 717]

Have your friend certify mail from there that'll be faster.

[Mar_Wil 12]

Have your friend certify mail from there that'll be faster.

We talked about that idea to our friend in Hong Kong. The problem with that was how to pay the fee since we cannot get a bank draft or check in Hong Kong dollars to put in with the application. Unless they will accept a personal check from our friend in Hong Kong in with our documents for our fee instead of from us as we do not have a bank account in Hong Kong. Even the Bank in the Philippines my wife uses that does have branches in Hong Kong would not issue a bank draft in Hong Kong dollars to her even it had been their practice to do so (seems they now only want to take money in and not issue out-strange for a bank). I will be sending the Hong Kong police an email asking.

From Hong Kong Police offical website:

f) A bank draft to the amount of HK$185 per person, made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region". The draft must be payable in Hong Kong. A personal cheque in Hong Kong dollar which is issued and authorized by any licenced banks in Hong Kong is also acceptable.

[Mar_Wil 12]

Have your friend certify mail from there that'll be faster.

Ok, Just got finished talking to our friend in Hong Kong. Our friend got a Bank Draft there in Hong Kong and will put it in our package and mail from there to the Police Station in Wan Chai.

Wish us luck on this.

And Thank you for your replies and suggestions.

[Darnell 8,478]

Good Luck !

The thing about a 'drop box' though - is that no human interaction is needed.

I'm a thinking yer friend had human interaction, and that soured the deal, for his/her first trip, in it's entirety.

[Mar_Wil 12]

Good Luck !

The thing about a 'drop box' though - is that no human interaction is needed.

I'm a thinking yer friend had human interaction, and that soured the deal, for his/her first trip, in it's entirety.

Thank you for wishing us luck.

That could have been the reason. I had read, I believe here on VJ, and heard of others that had friends in Hong Kong taking their application and documents to the station at Wan Chai and paying the fee in cash with no problem. Made me wonder what happened, if they had changed rules or something like that. According to our friend she just took it to the station at the specified floor and office and they just simply and nicely would not accept it.

[Darnell 8,478]

ya, that lock box is a drop-off point - no human interaction, just drop in a slot and walk away.

no worries, though, as the postal approach works well also.

[Ms Hogan 295]

Sounds very frustrating but you and your wife are obviously very patient. Good luck with everything and be sure to update here so others know what to expect.

[Mar_Wil 12]

Sounds very frustrating but you and your wife are obviously very patient. Good luck with everything and be sure to update here so others know what to expect.

Thank you for wishing us luck MsHogan. But we had no choice but to be patient, even though at times you would have thought we had no patience. lol

As I posted in another post yesterday we did receive and email from NVC stating they had all the necessary documents and would let us know when they schedule my wife's interview. I guess they found the documents they had earlier said were missing.

[Mar_Wil 12]

Sounds very frustrating but you and your wife are obviously very patient. Good luck with everything and be sure to update here so others know what to expect.

Here is the latest on the Hong Kong CNCC (Certificate of No Criminal Conviction).

Our friend's employer in Hong Kong called the Police Station in Wan Chai and as per the instructions given them over the phone from the Hong Kong police they mailed my wife's application and documents through the local Hong Kong postal service with what they referred to as a "Cash Check" for the fee. I believe the "Cash Check" is similar or the same as what we call here in the U.S. as a Bank Cashier's Check although our friend said it was like a Bank Draft.

Also I had prior to this sent an inquiry email to the Hong Kong Police CNCC office asking for advice, This is the email reply I got from the Hong Kong Police just a little bit ago.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your email.

Applicant's representative may submit the document on her behalf and pay by

cash in our office. Our office is located at 14/F, Arsenal House, Police

Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong on Monday to Friday

from 9:00 am to 5:15 pm. We close on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

Please note that payment at Police Shroff closes between 1:00 pm and 2:00

pm and at 5:00 pm.

The representative may also write a personal cheque HK$ 185 which is issued

and authorized by any licenced bank in HK and attached with all other

required dcouments and put it into the drop in box.

Regards,

Ms. Sybille YUNG

Officer-in-Charge

Certificate of No Criminal Conviction Office

Hong Kong Police Force

From the email reply it sounds like they should have accepted my wife's application, documents and fee from our friend at the Station at Wan Chai when our friend took them there. Oh well. lol

Thought this may be of some help to others in regards to getting their Hong Kong Police Clearance who are not present in Hong Kong.

If anything further develops on this I will try to post and update here.

[charlesandmerle 4]

Thank you for wishing us luck MsHogan. But we had no choice but to be patient, even though at times you would have thought we had no patience. lol

As I posted in another post yesterday we did receive and email from NVC stating they had all the necessary documents and would let us know when they schedule my wife's interview. I guess they found the documents they had earlier said were missing.

[charlesandmerle 4]

Sorry to hear you have been waiting for so long. Talked to a NVC agent three days ago and she said the NVC only requires an NBI COC from the Philippines. I asked about any other COC's and she said they do not require them. She is talking about the NVC. I asked about the interview and she said we would have to contact the US Embassy in Manila for an official letter requesting COC's from other countries. How did you obtain this formal letter requesting COC's from other countries lived in for over 6 months?

Hope all is well and you have great news coming!

[Mar_Wil 12]

Sorry to hear you have been waiting for so long. Talked to a NVC agent three days ago and she said the NVC only requires an NBI COC from the Philippines. I asked about any other COC's and she said they do not require them. She is talking about the NVC. I asked about the interview and she said we would have to contact the US Embassy in Manila for an official letter requesting COC's from other countries. How did you obtain this formal letter requesting COC's from other countries lived in for over 6 months?

Hope all is well and you have great news coming!

We did send a Certificate of No Criminal Record from South Korea to NVC which by wife obtained from the South Korean Embassy in Manila.

I had also called NVC prior to my wife sending in her DS-230 applicatiion about her Hong Kong Clearance, what was stated to me was the reason NVC does not require Hong Kong Clearance to be sent to them is simply because Hong Kong Will Not send to NVC and Will Only Send to the Relevant Embassy or Consulate, they told me that after they receive my wife's DS-230 application they would issue a check list requesting the Hong Kong CNCC. After NVC received my wife's DS-230 application which showed she had worked in Hong Kong for 7 years they send us a RFE Check list and on this particular check list it had the "Instructions For (My Wife's Name)" for the Hong Kong Certificate of No Criminal Conviction which we used as according to NVC and the Hong Kong Police would suffice. I believe I have read here on VJ that others in the past have used the NVC RFE Check list sending it to Hong Kong Police as the letter requesting the Hong Kong CNCC.

Below is what Hong Kong Police said would work:

c) A photocopy of a letter from the relevant Consulate / Immigration Authority / Government Authority, which contains his or her name and clearly indicates that the production of the Certificate is required.

Below is the RFE Check List Letter (email) from NVC we sent to Hong Kong as proof the Hong Kong CNCC is required:

March 6, 2013

NVC Case Number: MNLXXXXXXXXXX

Dear XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX:

We have reviewed the documents which you submitted in support of an application for an immigrant visa. Please review the information listed under each applicant's name and provide any documents which are indicated as missing or need additional information. You must submit the required information. Failure to provide the requested information will delay your immigrant visa interview.

Please read the enclosed information to determine where to send all required copies of missing documents. If you have any questions regarding this letter, please call the National Visa Center at (603) 334-0700 between the hours of 7:30am and midnight ET.

Please include a copy of this letter with your correspondence and write your case number clearly (exactly as it appears below) on the upper right-hand corner of all documents.

From the date you mail or transmit the requested information, please allow 20 business days for NVC to review this documentation/your mail. When we complete our review, the NVC will notify you/petitioner/beneficiary/attorney with information regarding the next processing step.

If a period of one year passes without contacting the NVC (by e-mail, telephone, or mail), all submitted fees and documents will expire. Upon expiration, the fees and documents would need to be resubmitted in order to continue the immigration process.

Case Number: MNLXXXXXXXXXX

Beneficiary's Name: XXXXXX, XXXXXX XXXXXX

Preference Category: IR1 - SPOUSE OF UNITED STATES CITIZEN

Priority Date: 21FEB2011

INSTRUCTIONS FOR: XXXXXX, XXXXXX XXXXXX

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Documents must be from the appropriate issuing government authority. Failure to provide the correct document will delay your case and may result in re-scheduling of your interview, or refusal of a visa.

In addition to the original documents or certified copies of the documents, a photocopy of the original documents must be submitted to the NVC.

For many countries, the U.S. Department of State has established country-specific criteria for ensuring that applicants submit documents appropriate for visa processing. Please follow the instructions below to determine if the U.S. Department of State has issued any country specific guidelines for the requested document.

Please go to www.immigrantvisas.state.gov.

1. Click on the Fees & Reciprocity Tables box located on the left side of the page.

2. Click on the Visa Issuance Fee - Reciprocity Tables line near the middle of the page.

3. From the drop-down menu, select the country where the document was issued.

4. Scroll down to the document type to view the specific criteria.

All documents not in English or in the official language of the country in which the visa application will be processed must be accompanied by a certified translation. Your translation must include a statement signed by the translator that states the following:

•Translation is accurate, and

•Translator is competent to translate.

If it is impossible to obtain an original document or a certified copy of the original document because records have been destroyed or the appropriate government authority will not issue one, you should obtain a certified statement from the appropriate government authority stating the reason your record is not available.

______10 - HONG KONG S. A. R. POLICE CERTIFICATE:__________________

Police Clearances from Hong Kong

Police clearances for Hong Kong will be sent by the police authorities directly to the U.S. Consulate General. The Consulate General will liaise directly with NVC when the police clearances are received.

There is no need to confirm the receipt of your police clearance with either the Consulate or NVC. Please note that failure to apply for a police certificate at least 6 weeks before the scheduled interview

date may result in a delay with processing the visa application.

Applying for a Police Clearance from Hong Kong The issuance of a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction is a charged service provided by the Hong Kong Police Force. Both individuals residing in Hong Kong and individuals residing outside of Hong Kong may apply.

Individuals residing in Hong Kong

All applicants should appear in person at the Certificate of No Criminal Conviction Office which is located at 14/F, Arsenal House, Police Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The office is open from 9am to 5:15pm from Monday to Friday. (Note: The payment window is closed daily between 1-2pm and stops accepting payments at 5pm.) Applicants may elect to make an advance appointment through the Automatic Telephone Appointment System at 2396-5351, no less than one day in advance of the intended appointment.

An applicant should be prepared to present the following items:

(1) his/her Hong Kong Identity Card or valid travel document;

(2) the original and a photocopy (for each applicant) of the letter from NVC which contains his/her name and the checklist of documents necessary for obtaining a visa (the one that references the need for police certificates);

(3) the original and photocopy of a document proving his/her relationship with the principal applicant for the visa if item #2 does not contain the applicant name;

(4) the processing fee of HK$185 per person payment via cash, Octopus cards or checks payable to Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.”

All applicants must consent to have their fingerprints taken. Each applicant must sign an authorization that the fingerprints can be retained by the Hong Kong Police and that details of any criminal conviction recorded in Hong Kong can be disclosed to the U.S. Consulate General.

Individuals residing outside Hong Kong

Applications should be made in writing to:

The Commission of Police (Attn: EO CNCC) 14/F, Arsenal House Police Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street Wan Chai, Hong Kong

An applicant residing outside Hong Kong must submit the following items. Please note that documents issued in languages other than Chinese or English, must be accompanied by an official transcript, in Chinese or English, endorsed either by the issuing authority or a certificated translation services body.

(1) his/her Hong Kong Identity Card or valid travel document;

(2) the original and a photocopy (for each applicant) of the letter from NVC which contains his/her name and the checklist of documents necessary for obtaining a visa (the one that references the need for police certificates);

(3) the original and photocopy of a document proving his/her relationship with the principal applicant for the visa if item #2 does not contain the applicant name;

(4) a full set of the applicant fingerprints taken and certified by a recognized and official police or law enforcement agency where the applicant currently resides. Certification of the fingerprints must

clearly state: (i) the full name and rank of the person taking the prints, (ii) the full name of the police or law enforcement agency with their official chop; and (iii) the date and place the prints were taken. Prints that do not clearly show certification will be refused. Fingerprints taken by the applicant him/herself, a legal representative or private/commercial agency are also unacceptable.

(5) a bank draft in the amount of HK$185 per person, made payable to Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The draft must be payable in Hong Kong. A personal cheque in Hong Kong dollars, which is issued an authorized by any licensed banks in Hong Kong, is also acceptable.

If an applicant is under investigation by the Hong Kong Police or is currently a defendant in criminal proceedings in Hong Kong or is subject to non-payment of fines including traffic offences, his/her application will not be further processed until the matter has been concluded.

The relevant application form, standard personal data form, and fingerprint consent form can be downloaded from the Hong Kong Police homepage at www.police.gov.hk. Any inquiries may be addressed to Certificate of No Criminal Conviction office, email: eo-cncc-ib@police.gov.hk,

phone: +852-2860-6557 (for local residents); +852-2860-6558 (for overseas applicants), fax: +852-2200-4321.

[Y1P 03/06/2013] MNLXXXXXXXXXX