I had a few questions regarding fingerprints for the IdHSC from FBI. In the instructions it states that we can send the fingerprints on standard fingerprint form but it is better to get it done through law enforcement agencies.
Did you go to a police station to get your fingerprinting done? If not, how did you go about with the fingerprinting?
If you went to the police station, what was the documentation that you had to carry with you and do they provide the fingerprint cards or do we need to take them along?
I am planning on getting these done right away as the current wait time shows as 10-12 weeks. What is the validity period of the report once I get it from FBI? I am asking this since I haven’t submitted my EE profile yet and I don’t want the report to lapse over if I get it done too early.
SureID, Inc. (https://www.sureid.com/#Fingerprint) seems to pretty easy to submit fingerprints and get FBI report easily. I’m planning to take this route.
We just googled for FBI approved fingerprints etc and found a provider near by there are a lot of people authorized to do this its often people who also run Fedex shops, etc
The timing can be tricky. Once you get an invite you have 90 days to submit all police clearances. We needed three for India, Singapore and the US. By far US was the slowest the delay was documented on the FBI website and attributed to some kind of system upgrade work in progress.
I will highly recommend you get started on this as soon as possible. I don’t think the report will lapse within the year which is a long enough timeline.
Thanks @mrandmrs for the questions and @aditya.bhardwaja and @anon25417004 for the answers. I didn’t even think about starting the verification process till now, but now I think it is a very good idea.
If I understand correctly, you need to contact various local agencies for your fingerprints and they will give it in 4-5 days. Then, you submit it to FBI, correct?
@anon25417004 How much time did it take for you for FBI verification?
We need to collect the finger prints and send it to FBI. We can use FBI-Approved Channeler agencies only if you are a US citizen or a Permanent resident. Current processing time is 12-14 weeks and additional time for delivery. Good news is FBI is coming up with Electronic Departmental Order (eDO) for fast processing time. Hope eDO option is made available ASAP.
@aditya.bhardwaja so, what shall be used for fingerprinting, if we cann’t use official agencies mentioned by FBI. Can we go to any other private companies to get the fingerprints or any other suggestions?
@aditya.bhardwaja it right we got our fingerprints done at a technician somewhere in Sunnyvale CA. They are everywhere, its a certification and many people are certified. Please mention to him that its for the FBI they have a special paper to take it on.
Once we get the fingerprints, we should send it to FBI, right? (even for non PR holders).
It is confusing because a part of the thread mentions that FBI will process only if I am a PR or a citizen. Please clarify who will give us the final verification report ?
To clear all confusions let me first say this is a very simple process that can however take long so please start at the earliest.
Anyone can get an FBI clearance it is known as “Identify history summery checks” this is NOT limited to citizens and PR. Everyone including you can get this done.
You cannot get this done though an “FBI approved channeler” this is only for citizens and PR. However you don’t need to goto a channeler.
You can and should go to any local fingerprinting service provider. You can find them with a simple google search eg. “fbi fingerprints sunnyvale” or look on yelp. Often these finger printers also run Fedex or notary services so don’t be confused fingerprinting is an extra certification they have to earn more money.
Police certificates are typically valid for one year from the date they are issued.
For the applicant’s current country of residence, the police certificate must be issued no more than six months before submission of the e-APR.
For countries in which the applicant no longer lives, the police certificate must have been issued after the last time the client lived in that country.
Got my finger print cards today. Went to a local police headquarters and it took 15 minutes to get it done. Didn’t need any documents just my drivers license. Will mail it to the FBI today
I simply found a form on the FBI website (link was given in cic instructions). The FBI had instructions on what forms to fill, what documents to send, how to take fingerprints etc. I bought an inkpad and gave fingerprints on the form (printed at home). They need normal fingerprints as well as rolling fingerprints. It was a mess but eventually I mastered it after 2-3 tries and sent them everything. I think they took about 2.5 months to send me the “No arrest record” result.
I got my PR recently.
P.S.: Good luck cleaning the ink off your fingers and not looking like a criminal for the next few days
We got our fingerprinting done at Aria Printers on Mission Blvd in Fremont. The owner was quick and he knew exactly what was needed to be done. Once we had the fingerprints, we were able to ship our documents from there as he handles UPS/FedEx as well. It was convenient and took less than 15 minutes. That was 2 months ago so we are expecting our reports within the next month.
Hello! I’m currently living in the US and am trying to fill out the FD-258. In the FD-258 form downloaded from https://forms.fbi.gov/identity-history-summary-checks-review, how would one answer “REASON FINGERPRINTED”? Also, I am wondering if anyone has used UPS for this service, as I live in a small town. Many thanks!
For the reason, we mentioned “Required for Immigration”. As for UPS, I went to one and they said that they only do live scan, which is not valid for non-citizens. Since we needed to get fingerprints on paper, we went to a different fingerprinting location. Another option is going to the local police station.
