Spouse Outside Canada - FBI & Police Clearance Certificates

While the paperwork from CIC is somewhat different for Police Clearances depending on whether you're filing an Inside vs. Outside Canada PR application, the paperwork for the FBI and California DOJ is not. And since in both cases, the Police Clearances get sent directly back to you so you can send them to the appropriate agency, the end result is the same. With this in mind, we got Nickie's fingerprints and have sent the paperwork in today with CIC's Outside Canada version of the cover letter.


FBI fingerprinting:

1. Write to the FBI to request an FD-258 Blank Fingerprint Form - Note: this may not be necessary as fingerprinting agencies seem to have this form
   
2. Bring the form and your picture ID to a local police station or fingerprinting service and be fingerprinted, preferably by a fingerprinting technician
   
3. Send the following items to the FBI at: (9/30/06)
   

   FBI CJIS Division – Record Request
   1000 Custer Hollow Road
   Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306

   1. Complete cover letter (provided on FBI website)
   2. PC-1 request letter from CIC (also provided in Appendix B)
   3. Fingerprinted FD-258 form
   4. $18 fee (money order or certified check, or online with credit card)
4. Wait 8-10 weeks for processing
5. The FBI will mail back either the fingerprint card stamped with "No Record" or an FBI Identification Record
6. Sponsor sends originals to Case Processing Centre - Mississauga (CPC-M) with rest of forms
   

California Live Scan:

1. Fill out a BCII RR8016 Request for Live Scan Service (provided on DOJ website)
   
2. Bring the form and your picture ID to a Live Scan site
3. PC-1 request letter from CIC (also provided in Appendix B)
4. Fingerprinter completes the bottom of the form and keeps the original, you get two copies: one to send to California DOJ and one for your records
5. Send the following items to the DOJ at: (9/30/06)
   

   California Department of Justice
   Record Review Unit
   P.O. Box 903417
   Sacramento, CA 94203-4170
   

   1. Copy of completed form
   2. PC-1 request letter from CIC (also provided in Appendix B)
   
   
6. Wait a few weeks for processing
7. The DOJ will mail you a clearance letter
8. Sponsor sends originals to Case Processing Centre - Mississauga (CPC-M) with rest of forms

So in short, if you find a Live Scan site that is also equipped and certified to do ink fingerprinting, you can combine these two sets of steps. We brought the FBI cover letter and instructions, the DOJ cover letter and instructions, to such a site to get both done at the same time. Ink fingerprints were about $15, Live Scan was about $17.50 plus $32 California processing fee. Then we put the appropriate paperwork in each envelope, FBI and DOJ (we used a large padded envelope for the FBI mailing to protect the fingerprint card) and sent them certified mail with receipt. This way we will know be able to document the date received.