How long is an FBI police certificate good for?

[Zoide]

Hi,

How long are FBI police certificates good for?

I got mine last year because I knew they would take a long time to send it, and I wanted to be ready as soon as I got an ITA. Well, it turns out I only got an ITA until now...

My FBI certificate was issued on May 24th, 2016. Is it still valid? I am about to submit all of my papers tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[hitesh0414]

If the FBI PCC was issued after you left US and you never visited US after that, then it is valid.

 

[Zoide]

If the FBI PCC was issued after you left US and you never visited US after that, then it is valid.

Oh no!

I was in the US for five days in October 2016 attending a college reunion

I haven't lived there since 2007, though...

Surely there is something I can do?

Thanks

 

[bellaluna]

Oh no!

I was in the US for five days in October 2016 attending a college reunion

I haven't lived there since 2007, though...

Surely there is something I can do?

Thanks

Apply for a new FBI PCC. Sorry. This is the only way.

 

[Zoide]

Apply for a new FBI PCC. Sorry. This is the only way.

I think the IRCC webpage is ambiguous on this point.

One the one hand, they define the need for a certificate based on any type of physical presence in the country:

"For example: if you visited, worked or lived in a country for two months, left for a few years, then returned for four months, that counts as spending six months there. In this case, you would need a certificate."

On the other hand, they define the validity of the certificate based on living there:

"If you need a police certificate from a country or territory and have lived there in the past, the police certificate must be issued after you last lived in that country or territory."

In my case, I lived in the US from 2002-2007 and have visited many times since for business and pleasure (never more than 2-3 weeks at a time). My last visit was a 5-day personal trip in October 2016.

Couldn't I argue that the police certificate I got in May 24th, 2016 is still valid since I have not lived in the US since then?

Thanks

 

[Advisor_PK]

I am afraid you will have to get a new PCC for the United States. Your PCC for foreign countries has to be dated AFTER the last day you were in that country. The last time you were in the US was October 2016 so the US PCC has to be dated after.

See item 6 in this list for further reading:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/reasons-for-rejection-faraz-summary.471670/

I think the IRCC webpage is ambiguous on this point.

One the one hand, they define the need for a certificate based on any type of physical presence in the country:

"For example: if you visited, worked or lived in a country for two months, left for a few years, then returned for four months, that counts as spending six months there. In this case, you would need a certificate."

On the other hand, they define the validity of the certificate based on living there:

"If you need a police certificate from a country or territory and have lived there in the past, the police certificate must be issued after you last lived in that country or territory."

In my case, I lived in the US from 2002-2007 and have visited many times since for business and pleasure (never more than 2-3 weeks at a time). My last visit was a 5-day personal trip in October 2016.

Couldn't I argue that the police certificate I got in May 24th, 2016 is still valid since I have not lived in the US since then?

Thanks

 

[bellaluna]

I think the IRCC webpage is ambiguous on this point.

One the one hand, they define the need for a certificate based on any type of physical presence in the country:

"For example: if you visited, worked or lived in a country for two months, left for a few years, then returned for four months, that counts as spending six months there. In this case, you would need a certificate."

On the other hand, they define the validity of the certificate based on living there:

"If you need a police certificate from a country or territory and have lived there in the past, the police certificate must be issued after you last lived in that country or territory."

In my case, I lived in the US from 2002-2007 and have visited many times since for business and pleasure (never more than 2-3 weeks at a time). My last visit was a 5-day personal trip in October 2016.

Couldn't I argue that the police certificate I got in May 24th, 2016 is still valid since I have not lived in the US since then?

Thanks

You could argue that, or go through the Reasons for Rejection thread which has numerous rejections because of PCC dates for this same reason, even when going back for a few days' visit. I've never seen a reopened application in favor of the applicant in similar circumstances. I think there was even a rejection case where the PCC was dated on the day before the applicant departed. It's always better to err on the side of safety than to tell the IRCC agent that the information on their website was ambiguous.

I've told you my piece, but it's your application and your effort.

 

[Zoide]

You could argue that, or go through the Reasons for Rejection thread which has numerous rejections because of PCC dates for this same reason, even when going back for a few days' visit. I've never seen a reopened application in favor of the applicant in similar circumstances. I think there was even a rejection case where the PCC was dated on the day before the applicant departed. It's always better to err on the side of safety than to tell the IRCC agent that the information on their website was ambiguous.

I've told you my piece, but it's your application and your effort.

OK, I will err on the side of safety

That said, I only have 15 days left to submit my application. How does this plan sound?

1) I attach last year's FBI PCC to my application
2) I send a new form with fingerprints to the FBI tomorrow, and attach the form and tracking number to my application
3) I attach an LoE explaining that I haven't lived in the US since 2007, and that I have requested a new PCC just to be on the safe side, but it won't get here in time so this is the best I can do.

Thanks

 

[samroc]

OK, I will err on the side of safety

That said, I only have 15 days left to submit my application. How does this plan sound?

1) I attach last year's FBI PCC to my application
2) I send a new form with fingerprints to the FBI tomorrow, and attach the form and tracking number to my application
3) I attach an LoE explaining that I haven't lived in the US since 2007, and that I have requested a new PCC just to be on the safe side, but it won't get here in time so this is the best I can do.

Thanks

That's exactly what I did too. Hoping it works for the both of us.

 

[Zoide]

I wonder what people who travel a lot do, though. What if you take short trips to the US ever few weeks? Do you need to get a new FBI PCC after each time?

By the time you get the PCC back from them, you would already have traveled to the US again and it would no longer be valid...

 

[bellaluna]

I wonder what people who travel a lot do, though. What if you take short trips to the US ever few weeks? Do you need to get a new FBI PCC after each time?

By the time you get the PCC back from them, you would already have traveled to the US again and it would no longer be valid...

Simple, they just get a new PCC after their last trip to the States and right before they submit their PR application. The lock-in date for IRCC's purposes is the day you submit your PR app.

After filing the PR app and getting AOR, they can travel back to the US as often as they want without needing a new PCC, unless it is requested for whatever reason.

 

[Funkdakarma]

OK, I will err on the side of safety

That said, I only have 15 days left to submit my application. How does this plan sound?

1) I attach last year's FBI PCC to my application
2) I send a new form with fingerprints to the FBI tomorrow, and attach the form and tracking number to my application
3) I attach an LoE explaining that I haven't lived in the US since 2007, and that I have requested a new PCC just to be on the safe side, but it won't get here in time so this is the best I can do.

Thanks

Hi, looks like I'm in the same boat as you.

I have less than 2 months before my ITA expires, and it looks like I need to get a new FBI Clearance, as I visited the US last year for the first time since I got my first clearance in 2011.

If it doesn't come in time, I will include the old PCC, and in my LOE include proof that I have submitted my application for the new PCC.

 

[hitesh0414]

I think the IRCC webpage is ambiguous on this point.

One the one hand, they define the need for a certificate based on any type of physical presence in the country:

"For example: if you visited, worked or lived in a country for two months, left for a few years, then returned for four months, that counts as spending six months there. In this case, you would need a certificate."

On the other hand, they define the validity of the certificate based on living there:

"If you need a police certificate from a country or territory and have lived there in the past, the police certificate must be issued after you last lived in that country or territory."

In my case, I lived in the US from 2002-2007 and have visited many times since for business and pleasure (never more than 2-3 weeks at a time). My last visit was a 5-day personal trip in October 2016.

Couldn't I argue that the police certificate I got in May 24th, 2016 is still valid since I have not lived in the US since then?

Thanks

You lived there for five days in october 2016, so as per IRCC rule you should get a new PCC which should be dated after you left the country.

 

[Zoide]

You lived there for five days in october 2016, so as per IRCC rule you should get a new PCC which should be dated after you left the country.

In the end I requested a new PCC and sent the evidence to IRCC as part of my e-APR just to be safe. That said, it still seems silly to me to say that I "lived" there for five days back in October. I simply visited friends over the weekend for an alumni reunion!

 

[hitesh0414]

In the end I requested a new PCC and sent the evidence to IRCC as part of my e-APR just to be safe. That said, it still seems silly to me to say that I "lived" there for five days back in October. I simply visited friends over the weekend for an alumni reunion!

Whatsoever, if US is not your current country of residence and you have stayed in US even for a single day after you FBI PCC was issued then it is not acceptable by IRCC

IRCC clearly says for any country, which is not country of your current residence then the PCC must have been issued when you last left the country.

So if you have applied for fresh FBI PCC and submitted evidence to IRCC then you are good. No worries. Be Happy.