Please post your FBI request times.

[ftgpmb]

OK but if I don't use Fedex, do you think they will mail it to me here in the UK?

 

[Love_Young]

Yes, as long as you put that as your return address they can.
If you are concerned then I would call them and ask. Or if you don't feel confident in them sending it to you in the UK, do you have any family in Canada you can trust to have it sent to their address? If so put their address and then they can mail it to you. Though I am fairly confident that if they could mail it to me in Canada, they can mail it to you in UK.

 

[Pharoh]

It took exactly 12 weeks, from the time I mailed (and I mailed it using next-day shipping) and the time I got it. I'm only about an 8 hour drive from the FBI office in WV.

 

[Iamrobot85]

I have to say this is the positively the most frustrating part of the immigration process that I have been through yet. I think there's absolutely no reason it should take this long to get a background check for immigration.
I have known people who needed to get background checks from the FBI for work purposes (in the US) and it took DAYS, a week and a half at most. Why should it take so long for immigration??

And then, when you call the "customer service" hotline, they are so totally apathetic and unhelpful that it amazes me that they even bother with customer service number! They almost seem to have an attitude that they can't believe you would try to call them and ask them, how dare you? Even if you can't tell me much, it would be comforting to know you GOT my request, that my fingerprints were ok, and you are processing! But, according to them, I have to wait ten weeks before they will even acknowledge they received my request. Which is funny because most of the people on here seemed to have gotten their letters back before ten weeks even lapses!!

It's been seven weeks since I mailed off my request, I live about a three hour drive from the place you mail it to. All I can do is hope it comes soon. I had to vent my frustration with people who would understand.

 

[heatherusa]

I have to say this is the positively the most frustrating part of the immigration process that I have been through yet.

Dont worry... it gets WAYYYY more frustrating from here!... Sorry, I just had to say that. The FBI part is ridiculous, without a doubt. It is crazy that an organization as big as the FBI doesnt accept fingerprints digitally, and that they dont have a better way of processing them.

The wait once the application is processing can be excruciating once the euphoria from mailing the whole application wears off.

But nevertheless.... congrats on getting started!

 

[CharlieD10]

I'm a bit previous...but, FedEx tells me they will receive my fingerprints on Thursday by 10:30 a.m., so I will mark my calendar there, and we will see how long it takes them to respond to me. I hope the prints are OK for processing, I just spent a lot of money, I'd hate to wait 10 weeks or whatever just to be told they are not OK, as this is the last thing I need to complete my application! ???

 

[sparkle]

My husband sent his on Sept 27 by express mail.
Still waiting.....

Question: Some people have mentioned "Requested on" in their timeline....What does that mean?

 

[heatherusa]

My husband sent his on Sept 27 by express mail.
Still waiting.....

Question: Some people have mentioned "Requested on" in their timeline....What does that mean?

Some people don't send the FBI cert with their package and then Buffalo (or wherever) requests it to be sent to the visa office

 

[Iamrobot85]

I just called and they said that they received my request on the 2nd of September, and that it was processing (that clears things up) and that it should take two weeks more before they are done.

I am hoping this means my prints were fine, and I am also hoping that this is not a stock answer, that the two weeks thing is not just what they tell people. What are other people's experiences?

Thanks

 

[sparkle]

Some people don't send the FBI cert with their package and then Buffalo (or wherever) requests it to be sent to the visa office

So what do you think is better? To send the FBI with the initial application or request it later?

 

[Dayanara]

So what do you think is better? To send the FBI with the initial application or request it later?

From what I can see, the wait for the FBI cert to send in WITH the application is better than submitting it after the fact. Been reading many horror stories and for some seems to take longer when you send it in later (gets lost for example). IMO wait the 7-12 weeks and have it ALL in the package.

 

[heatherusa]

From what I can see, the wait for the FBI cert to send in WITH the application is better than submitting it after the fact. Been reading many horror stories and for some seems to take longer when you send it in later (gets lost for example). IMO wait the 7-12 weeks and have it ALL in the package.

If you think that the FBI cert might arrive in the next two weeks or so I would wait... I wish we had waited the two weeks for our to come because i think that it held our application up compared to other applicants on this forum with similar situations and timelines...

 

[Iamrobot85]

My FBI certificate FINALLY came!!

I sent it August 31st
They received it October 2nd
I received it yesterday, November 3rd.

 

[chrimano]

@Iamrobot: congrats to your FBI record. You said you sent it on Aug 31st and they received it a month later? Or did they receive it September 2nd.
Just asking because I sent mine September 22nd unfortunately with normal USPS and don't know it they received it.

 

[Iamrobot85]

Sorry, you are right, they received it SEPTEMBER the 2nd, my bad. It took about nine weeks to get back