FBI Fingerprint Cards Rejected Multiple Times - Any Alternate?

[deardhir]

Hi Guys,
My FBI fingerprint cards have been rejected multiple times. I have tried 8-10 cards but none have worked. I got them at professional background check agencies and the last time I got them electronically (called Live Scan in US). The fingerprinting expert with 30 years of experience said that my fingerprints are too light and my hands sweat a lot. He also wrote on the fingerprint card "Best Prints Obtainable" and said that he can not do anything better. The live-scan electronic fingerprinting machine kept rejecting the prints and we had to take it several times to be even close to being ok.

My question is that is there any way out of this, other than just trying to take fingerprints again and again and getting them rejected. I really need help on this. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[deardhir]

I sent an email to Buffalo Consulate and got the following reply.

"We do not offer individual counselling nor can we provide assistance in completing your application form. You must follow the instructions in the application kit. If you are unable to supply any required documents or information, please enclose a detailed explanation."

Any with some suggestion how to proceed?

 

[st7480]

My husband's fingerprints got rejected 5 times and we have sent 15 prints so far. I think it is a waste of time re-applying. My husband has given up and we are just waiting to see what other options we have.

 

[deardhir]

Please let me know what other option are you considering?

 

[mitali]

Hi deardhir and st7480,

Just sent you a PM.

Mitali

 

[mitali]

Hi

I thought of posting my response here as well so that others could benefit if possible.The only alternative you have:

1. I am sure you have saved the receipt of the Fingerprinting. Collect all the receipts.
2.Collect all the responses that you recd from FBI.
3. In your cover letter, mention that you have been unsuccessful to get the fingerprints for the reasons as mentioned in the FBI report and also that the prints were taken by professionals and livescan etc.

4. Since you are trying to FBI cert, I am assuming that you lived in the States in XX state for more than 6 months. Now, some of the States do provide PCC without fingerprints as in Massachusetts. Try to contact your respective State in US and and see if you can get State PCC. Afterall the intent is to check if you had any Criminal record....now this is the best that you could do.

5. If you are close to the 120 day submission and can not get the State PCC in time, then send the notarised photocopy of the receipts and the response of the FBI to VO and mention in your cover letter that you are going ahead to acquire a state PCC (i.e if the State does not require Finger print) and will send the report as soon as you get it.


Hope this helps.

Mitali

 

[st7480]

Thanks Mitali! I really appreciate your feedback.

 

[deardhir]

Hi

I thought of posting my response here as well so that others could benefit if possible.The only alternative you have:

1. I am sure you have saved the receipt of the Fingerprinting. Collect all the receipts.
2.Collect all the responses that you recd from FBI.
3. In your cover letter, mention that you have been unsuccessful to get the fingerprints for the reasons as mentioned in the FBI report and also that the prints were taken by professionals and livescan etc.

4. Since you are trying to FBI cert, I am assuming that you lived in the States in XX state for more than 6 months. Now, some of the States do provide PCC without fingerprints as in Massachusetts. Try to contact your respective State in US and and see if you can get State PCC. Afterall the intent is to check if you had any Criminal record....now this is the best that you could do.

5. If you are close to the 120 day submission and can not get the State PCC in time, then send the notarised photocopy of the receipts and the response of the FBI to VO and mention in your cover letter that you are going ahead to acquire a state PCC (i.e if the State does not require Finger print) and will send the report as soon as you get it.


Hope this helps.

Mitali

Hi Mitali.
Thanks for your reply. I have already followed what you mentioned. I spent a couple of hundred dollars on some fingerprinting supplies (special ink, ridge builder, etc.) and tried to take fingerprints again myself. I think they were a little better than earlier, but still not very good. I have sent them to FBI again... let's see if they get rejected again. I have also sent a letter to Buffalo explaining my situation... no response from them yet. I think for now I will continue to apply for fingerprint check, even if the only thing I can get out of it is increasing number of rejection letters from FBI. At least that can show that I have been trying. I checked with the state check people (Ohio) that the FBI check for immigration can not be done through them. They can do FBI check for other things like getting a job, education, etc. which is done through an electronic system and not paper prints. For immigration, you have to send paper fingerprints to FBI.

Thanks again!

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hi Mitali.
Thanks for your reply. I have already followed what you mentioned. I spent a couple of hundred dollars on some fingerprinting supplies (special ink, ridge builder, etc.) and tried to take fingerprints again myself. I think they were a little better than earlier, but still not very good. I have sent them to FBI again... let's see if they get rejected again. I have also sent a letter to Buffalo explaining my situation... no response from them yet. I think for now I will continue to apply for fingerprint check, even if the only thing I can get out of it is increasing number of rejection letters from FBI. At least that can show that I have been trying. I checked with the state check people (Ohio) that the FBI check for immigration can not be done through them. They can do FBI check for other things like getting a job, education, etc. which is done through an electronic system and not paper prints. For immigration, you have to send paper fingerprints to FBI.

Thanks again!

Go to the local police department, ask them who does the printing of cadavers. That person will be able to raise the prints if anyone can.

 

[deardhir]

I am updating this thread in hope that it will help others.

1. I had my prints rejected by FBI due to poor quality (see original post for details)
2. I re-submitted, FBI rejected again
3. I took the two reject letters and sent to Canada Immigration, requesting them to suggest an alternate
4. In the meantime, I sent two more requests to FBI, both got rejected due to poor quality again
5. Canada immigration sent request for medical, along with alternate request for getting police clearance from local and state police of every place I have lived in the USA in the past 10 year. Unfortunately, state clearances also require fingerprints (some on the same card as FBI), but some states have a policy of doing a check by name/dob/ssn, etc. if there are two previous rejects (by them, not by FBI).

So, if you fall in the same situation, collecting local/state clearance certificates in advance may be a good idea.

 

[ptv7425]

I am updating this thread in hope that it will help others.

1. I had my prints rejected by FBI due to poor quality (see original post for details)
2. I re-submitted, FBI rejected again
3. I took the two reject letters and sent to Canada Immigration, requesting them to suggest an alternate
4. In the meantime, I sent two more requests to FBI, both got rejected due to poor quality again
5. Canada immigration sent request for medical, along with alternate request for getting police clearance from local and state police of every place I have lived in the USA in the past 10 year. Unfortunately, state clearances also require fingerprints (some on the same card as FBI), but some states have a policy of doing a check by name/dob/ssn, etc. if there are two previous rejects (by them, not by FBI).

So, if you fall in the same situation, collecting local/state clearance certificates in advance may be a good idea.

Thanks a lot for posting this information, glad to know there is an alternative. My wife has the same issue, her prints were rejected once and we just sent the second one which, in all probability, may also be rejected. So we sent a request for state (MN) record, they just need name and Dob.

 

[miksee]

Hi, I don't know if this will help, but in the Philippines, there are some fingerprint officers that are specially trained by the U.S. to take acceptable prints. Is it possible that you are going to just a normal agent rather than a U.S. trained one ... the result being that the quality of the prints are not acceptable to them?

What I noticed though is that on the internet, the FBI will tell you that you can use the downloadable form, which I did and which they accepted. However, when I got the corresponding California State clearance, they required the official sized form (cut to size), and it was like playing ping-pong with the California justice system and my fingerprints kept getting sent back and forth until they finally sent me the exact form on which to get my prints.

Just a note, when I was doing this, my papers were already at the Visa Office and I was entering the end of my 120 days limit. So, I gave my agent the complete contents of my PCC request, including the DHL receipt as proof that I sent the packet out and was simply awaiting their response.

Good luck!

 

[ptv7425]

In my wife's case the fingerprints are too light with a lot of ridges, so the prints are not continuous. On the first occasion we printed the card on our home printer on a regular A4 size sheet and made the prints ourselves. I got my report, but my wife's was rejected.

FBI had sent a blank card along with the first rejection letter, which is what we used this time. This time the prints were also taken at a local law enforcement agency and the folks there were also not very optimistic, they said the prints are too feeble to be read by a reader.

 

[Rainy78]

Hi

I thought of posting my response here as well so that others could benefit if possible.The only alternative you have:

1. I am sure you have saved the receipt of the Fingerprinting. Collect all the receipts.
2.Collect all the responses that you recd from FBI.
3. In your cover letter, mention that you have been unsuccessful to get the fingerprints for the reasons as mentioned in the FBI report and also that the prints were taken by professionals and livescan etc.

4. Since you are trying to FBI cert, I am assuming that you lived in the States in XX state for more than 6 months. Now, some of the States do provide PCC without fingerprints as in Massachusetts. Try to contact your respective State in US and and see if you can get State PCC. Afterall the intent is to check if you had any Criminal record....now this is the best that you could do.

5. If you are close to the 120 day submission and can not get the State PCC in time, then send the notarised photocopy of the receipts and the response of the FBI to VO and mention in your cover letter that you are going ahead to acquire a state PCC (i.e if the State does not require Finger print) and will send the report as soon as you get it.


Hope this helps.

Mitali

Hi Mitali,
need some information plz check your inbox.

 

[sk99481]

I am updating this thread in hope that it will help others.

1. I had my prints rejected by FBI due to poor quality (see original post for details)
2. I re-submitted, FBI rejected again
3. I took the two reject letters and sent to Canada Immigration, requesting them to suggest an alternate
4. In the meantime, I sent two more requests to FBI, both got rejected due to poor quality again
5. Canada immigration sent request for medical, along with alternate request for getting police clearance from local and state police of every place I have lived in the USA in the past 10 year. Unfortunately, state clearances also require fingerprints (some on the same card as FBI), but some states have a policy of doing a check by name/dob/ssn, etc. if there are two previous rejects (by them, not by FBI).

So, if you fall in the same situation, collecting local/state clearance certificates in advance may be a good idea.


Hi

Quite a useful information. In my case, i had applied twice to FBI and they rejected back mentioning unclear fingerprints. Meanwhile i had applied to the California DOJ and luckily got my fingerprints response. And the same response i had mailed to Immigration. Now my question to you is i lived my entire stay in California itself. So will this be fine. Please advice if i am ok.

Regards
SK