US Citizens: How long did your FBI clearance take?

[bonacker]

hi All,

For those of you who have gotten an FBI clearance letter RECENTLY, how long did it take the FBI to do it?

Back story: I applied way back in January for my P.R., and everything was going hunky-dory until the original FBI clearance that I'd included with my application then was apparently lost somehow between Buffalo and the New York visa-processing office. (Buffalo had told me in February the my application was complete -- other than the medicals which were then en route from Ottawa. And I did keep a xerox of the original FBI clearance, but when NY told me on May 5th that they never got it, I was told that a xerox wouldn't do, and I needed to get a brand-new FBI clearance.)

Anyway, I applied for another clearance letter in mid-May, so I've been now waiting 9 or 10 weeks to hear something from the FBI.

This is beginning to suck.

THANKS Y'ALL!
Bonacker

PS: And . . . .Is there some way to ask the FBI if they have my paperwork ,anyway? To just make sure there wasn't some sort of crazy lost-in-the-mail disaster or something?

PPS: They call it a clearance "certificate," but it's just a letter actually.

 

[RobsLuv]

ColorMePanda has a thread on here for FBI clearance timelines. It seems it's currently taking about 10 weeks for them to open your request and start to process. Some have had 7 week timelines, but that seems to be people whose original prints were sent back due to some problem and they had to resubmit.

Personally, I sent my request the first week of June and they still haven't charged my credit card. I even requested expedited processing on the outside of the envelope because CIC asked me to get them the clearance by the end of June for the reprocessing of an appealed refusal. No such luck. I called a week or so ago (304-625-5590), at about 6 and a half weeks, and they didn't have me in the system yet. Apparently they're not expediting - my first clearance (in 2007) took only 3 weeks.

 

[bonacker]

thank you so much!

it's re-assuring to even just know how long others have been waiting, you know?

maybe i'll phone next week.

 

[RobsLuv]

It is reassuring to know you're not the only one - and to have at least some idea of what the timeline is. Thank goodness for forums like these so we can all compare notes.

 

[Dayanara]

Just over 7 weeks. They were received by the FBI on May 17th, we had out a request of June 30th on the envelope (even though they told us it wouldn't matter, didn't hurt to try), and received the results on July 9. We included an overnight prepaid envelope as well.

Hope that helps you.

 

[nyssa]

Dayanara and I had the same timeline of May 17. My prints were recieved on July 19 and that was without a pre-paid envelope. What a difference that makes apparently! 10 days, I would have had my application out already.

 

[bonacker]

:-X :-X :-X

Now I'm wondering if there's a holdup. Mine were received by them a few days before yours.

I didn't include a prepaid envelope.

Thanks for letting me know!!

 

[Dayanara]

:-X :-X :-X

Now I'm wondering if there's a holdup. Mine were received by them a few days before yours.

I didn't include a prepaid envelope.

Thanks for letting me know!!

I would give them a call. They can tell you at the very least that they were received and if they have been processed yet.

 

[OnTheMove]

Hi,
My file was also sent to NYC to "expedite" on July 20 after being in process in Buffulo for a month and a half.
I hope they do not loose my Police Certificate!
Good luck to as both and hope our cases get processed in a timely manner !!

AND
FBI does do expedited processing. I mailed my fingerprints on Feb 24. Asked them to expedite on the form and requested the police clearance by 3/30/10. They received the fingerprints on 3/3/10 finished processing on 4/9/10 and mailed the clearance letter to me.

 

[Dayanara]

AND
FBI does do expedited processing. I mailed my fingerprints on Feb 24. Asked them to expedite on the form and requested the police clearance by 3/30/10. They received the fingerprints on 3/3/10 finished processing on 4/9/10 and mailed the clearance letter to me.

They did back then. Now they no longer do this, it was a recent change (within the past few months) in their system. They even changed their website to stop stating that they do and state that they will not expedite.

 

[RobsLuv]

Yeah, I asked for expedited processing when I sent my prints at the end of May. I even wrote on the outside of the envelope that the clearance was required by Immigration Canada by 26Jun2010 for reprocessing of an appealed application, but they still haven't even charged my credit card - which indicates to me that haven't opened the request.

 

[can_usa_97]

I wrote a deadline, I forget I think 6/30 on it.

It took 8 weeks from the day they got my prints, to the day I got my certificate back.

 

[Shehryar]

Dear All,

I trust this note finds you all in good health. I am writing to inquire if I can open my Police Clearance Certificate issued by FBI to check before sending it out to Canada? Will it become invalid if I open it?

Thanks in advance!

Shehryar

 

[Shehryar]

Dear All,

I trust this note finds you all in good health. I am writing to inquire if I can open my Police Clearance Certificate issued by FBI to check before sending it out to Canada? Will it become invalid if I open it?

Thanks in advance!

Shehryar

 

[Ponga]

Dear All,

I trust this note finds you all in good health. I am writing to inquire if I can open my Police Clearance Certificate issued by FBI to check before sending it out to Canada? Will it become invalid if I open it?

Thanks in advance!

Shehryar

Yes, you can (and should) open it to make sure that it is accurate. CIC must receive it within 90 days from when it was issued.