US Police Clearance: FBI Processing Times

[Pollen]

We waited for everything too and the medical is expiring this year so we're freaking out now we're just going to send it in with this supposedly third party copy of an FBI document and see what happens. In the mean time we will send in stuff for the FBI to do it when my husband gets back to the US in 2 weeks. Will they inform us if the FBI document we sent in is not okay and give us a chance to correct it? Or do I have to write a letter saying we're waiting on the only through FBI one and this is for the mean time?

 

[Amalthea]

The piece of paper the channeler gave me is from the FBI signed by the section chief at the FBI I don't see how this isn't acceptable it's literally from the FBI the channeler just did the processing to speed it up.

CIC does NOT accept FBI police clearances received from a channeler. They are quite strict about this.

If you don't want to encounter any issues with your application, I urge you to apply for an FBI records request through the FBI and NOT a Channeler as SPECIFICALLY STATED by CIC. Unless you'd rather do it when they ask for it later on, at which point you'd have to wait 3-4 months for the FBI check, and then another several months for CIC to re-evaluate your application from the queue for missing documents.

 

[Amalthea]

We waited for everything too and the medical is expiring this year so we're freaking out now we're just going to send it in with this supposedly third party copy of an FBI document and see what happens. In the mean time we will send in stuff for the FBI to do it when my husband gets back to the US in 2 weeks. Will they inform us if the FBI document we sent in is not okay and give us a chance to correct it? Or do I have to write a letter saying we're waiting on the only through FBI one and this is for the mean time?

Sorry, I missed this comment!

Send it in now with the copy you have, and an explanation letter attached, and you will be fine. I would just say that you applied for a channeler copy while CIC had temporarily changed their website to state that they would accept them, but that you have applied for a proper FBI backgrounds check 4/10/2015 or whatever, that there is an est. 3 month wait time, and you will send it on to your visa office as soon as you receive it.

I did this for other reasons and it was attached to my application after SA without incident.

They may/may not extend your medical depending on when it expires. The hope is that if it expires while collecting dust in CIC's hands they will extend it for another year.

Best of luck to you xoxo. It'll be just fine

 

[fresh99]

Has anyone called recently to find out what date of mail they are opening as well as date that they're processing?

 

[Panamai]

Has anyone called recently to find out what date of mail they are opening as well as date that they're processing?

I just read in another thread that they are doing January 26th right now.

 

[mohit7269]

FBI is opening 28 Jan and processing 12th Jan.

 

[fresh99]

Thanks. Mine was received 18 February so need to follow up yet

 

[sc0216]

FBI Processing time is about 3 months

 

[pascal19]

Thanks. Mine was received 18 February so need to follow up yet

Mine was received february 18th, yesterday we called FBI and the agent told us it doesnt open, we must call next 2 weeks. we waiting...

 

[fresh99]

Mine was received february 18th, yesterday we called FBI and the agent told us it doesnt open, we must call next 2 weeks. we waiting...

@pascal19, good to know I have someone else on my received date....we wait together!

 

[ChellyCat]

Question for you all: How did you mail out your prints? I've got mine ready to be mailed tomorrow. Should I bother with tracking/signature? I am thinking to at least get tracking.

And a side note, I can't believe how ridiculous the current wait time is. Had I realized just how terrible it is, I would have gotten this done a lot sooner!

 

[fresh99]

I sent ours via Fedex so we knew when it was received. This is handy so if you call the customer service line they can tell you where you are re processing if you give a received date.

We used a lawyer and are annoyed that he did not advise us to get this done. It is the only thing that we are waiting on. Hoping once the visa office gets it the rest of the process will be quick.

 

[ChellyCat]

I sent ours via Fedex so we knew when it was received. This is handy so if you call the customer service line they can tell you where you are re processing if you give a received date.

We used a lawyer and are annoyed that he did not advise us to get this done. It is the only thing that we are waiting on. Hoping once the visa office gets it the rest of the process will be quick.

I'll definitely get tracking then, thanks.

I feel your frustration. I ended up submitting my app in a rush, so I figured I would just do the medical and police check once I got around to it. Now that I've received AOR I want to get the ball rolling, and that's when I realized how terrible this wait will be. Even the lady who took my prints today was telling me how ridiculous the wait is! They say you can get PR from Ottawa as early as 6 months after applying; I will really be kicking myself if I have to wait longer just because I didn't get on this police check sooner. Welp, hindsight is 20/20...!

 

[swestenzweig]

Wow. I had hopes the FBI would have worked through the issues by now and streamlined the process through their "new" system, but it seems like the extended processing times have become the norm.

When I was waiting on my police clearance, I debated heavily on whether to submit my application to CIC and then send the clearance when my application was sent to processing. However, at that time SA approval was taking over two months and there was concern that my police clearance would expire by the time it was needed by CIC. So, I waited to receive the response from the FBI.

 

[Gemmie]

Fingerprints Received by FBI Jan 26
Results Received April 21

Total Time 12 Weeks 1 Day