Hello, I hope somebody can help me with this!
So I have both Mexican and Colombian Citizenship. Before submitting my Express Entry/PR application from Bogota, Colombia I was able to process the Police Check for Colombia with no problems. I chose one of the security companies suggested by CIC, made the payment and sent the company the information requested. But for my Mexican, I've run into several problems. First of all, I was being told different things by different people as to when I should request it (for example, one "Immigration Expert" I paid said that I definitely would have to send the Mexican police check in with my application- that would have been impossible since I had about 20 days left to submit at that point, and the police check would have taken at least a month if not more).
Finally, I confirmed that I had to send my application and wait for a letter from CIC. So then I had to figure out where in Bogota to get the fingerprints. At first I was told that police stations don't do that, as suggested by CIC so I had to look at other options. I went to the Mexican Embassy and Consulate and they said no. An official at the Consulate told me he had discussed this with somebody at the Canadian Embassy and they had told him to send those people asking about fingerprints straight to the Canadian Embassy. Since this Embassy is so hermetic and It's impossible to actually speak to someone INSIDE the embassy I ended up having to tell my situation to the Embassy receptionist, who also seems to have to field most questions. He was very sure of himself when he said that I did have to wait for a letter with instructions, and that the instructions would recommend a company called Omnitempus, which would be in charge of taking the fingerprints.
After hearing that I waited for the letter (FYI I applied November 3rd, 2015) and got the letter with more Mexican Police Check instructions today (Feb 12, 2016). The letter said nothing about any security company but referred me back to the Police Check instructions. I had previously asked in a Notary if they did fingerprinting and they said yes, but what they actually meant was that they only do Index finger prints. So they can't help. Then I called the National Police in Bogotá to double-check if they do that. I told the person on the phone what I needed the prints for and he said: I can go to ANY police station and get them done for free. Well, I got to my nearest police station and they said that the person on the phone was wrong. That only two police stations have fingerprinting experts, and that they were both on the other side of town. So we rush to one of the ones they mentioned. We get there, and the technician says that at this location they do take them but only for criminal investigations. That we have to go to ANOTHER station, but that even here the technician will not be able to sign to certify who took the prints. So basically it would just be a white piece of paper with my prints. Either way, we go to the other station.
At this station they said I should have received a form from the Canadian Embassy for them to take the prints and certify them. I had spent the whole being told the wrong information over and over. At no point of this process, on the website or the application or the messages I have received had anybody from CIC or the embassy mentioned a form. So what am I supposed to do now?? I have 60 days to send this in and the Mexican authorities apparently take a long time to send that document in.
After googling different phrases in different languages for something to help me I found out that there is a Service called VFS in Bogota which apparently assists people with their Canadian immigration applications. From their website they say they do fingerprinting, but since I received the letter on a Friday and I spent the whole day going from police station to police station, by the time I found this out it was already 6 PM and the office was closed. I'm going to have to wait until Monday for the Embassy and VFS to open so I can confirm what is happening.
Has anybody gone through this? Do you have any suggestions? Am I crazy for thinking that the Embassy or CIC are misdirecting people, and assuming that the Police Stations work the same everywhere in the world? Have you heard of these fingerprinting forms? Any help would be appreciated, this is the last document I need to send before a decision is made and I'm very concerned. Thank you!
So I have both Mexican and Colombian Citizenship. Before submitting my Express Entry/PR application from Bogota, Colombia I was able to process the Police Check for Colombia with no problems. I chose one of the security companies suggested by CIC, made the payment and sent the company the information requested. But for my Mexican, I've run into several problems. First of all, I was being told different things by different people as to when I should request it (for example, one "Immigration Expert" I paid said that I definitely would have to send the Mexican police check in with my application- that would have been impossible since I had about 20 days left to submit at that point, and the police check would have taken at least a month if not more).
Finally, I confirmed that I had to send my application and wait for a letter from CIC. So then I had to figure out where in Bogota to get the fingerprints. At first I was told that police stations don't do that, as suggested by CIC so I had to look at other options. I went to the Mexican Embassy and Consulate and they said no. An official at the Consulate told me he had discussed this with somebody at the Canadian Embassy and they had told him to send those people asking about fingerprints straight to the Canadian Embassy. Since this Embassy is so hermetic and It's impossible to actually speak to someone INSIDE the embassy I ended up having to tell my situation to the Embassy receptionist, who also seems to have to field most questions. He was very sure of himself when he said that I did have to wait for a letter with instructions, and that the instructions would recommend a company called Omnitempus, which would be in charge of taking the fingerprints.
After hearing that I waited for the letter (FYI I applied November 3rd, 2015) and got the letter with more Mexican Police Check instructions today (Feb 12, 2016). The letter said nothing about any security company but referred me back to the Police Check instructions. I had previously asked in a Notary if they did fingerprinting and they said yes, but what they actually meant was that they only do Index finger prints. So they can't help. Then I called the National Police in Bogotá to double-check if they do that. I told the person on the phone what I needed the prints for and he said: I can go to ANY police station and get them done for free. Well, I got to my nearest police station and they said that the person on the phone was wrong. That only two police stations have fingerprinting experts, and that they were both on the other side of town. So we rush to one of the ones they mentioned. We get there, and the technician says that at this location they do take them but only for criminal investigations. That we have to go to ANOTHER station, but that even here the technician will not be able to sign to certify who took the prints. So basically it would just be a white piece of paper with my prints. Either way, we go to the other station.
At this station they said I should have received a form from the Canadian Embassy for them to take the prints and certify them. I had spent the whole being told the wrong information over and over. At no point of this process, on the website or the application or the messages I have received had anybody from CIC or the embassy mentioned a form. So what am I supposed to do now?? I have 60 days to send this in and the Mexican authorities apparently take a long time to send that document in.
After googling different phrases in different languages for something to help me I found out that there is a Service called VFS in Bogota which apparently assists people with their Canadian immigration applications. From their website they say they do fingerprinting, but since I received the letter on a Friday and I spent the whole day going from police station to police station, by the time I found this out it was already 6 PM and the office was closed. I'm going to have to wait until Monday for the Embassy and VFS to open so I can confirm what is happening.
Has anybody gone through this? Do you have any suggestions? Am I crazy for thinking that the Embassy or CIC are misdirecting people, and assuming that the Police Stations work the same everywhere in the world? Have you heard of these fingerprinting forms? Any help would be appreciated, this is the last document I need to send before a decision is made and I'm very concerned. Thank you!