Basic Disclosure
 

Hi

Anyone else had a nightmare trying to get a Basic Disclosure application form sent to Canada from Disclosure Scotland?

Cheers

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Is this for a police check ? I think you need the ACPO form. It covers England and Scotland.

Could it be you are asking for the wrong thing?

If not Ignore me :)

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Hi Zoe

It is a form of police check but not for immigration purposes. The police check certificate I used to get my FSW visa stated "For immigration purposes only". It is a pain that I submitted one within a year to the embassy but public works out here want a fresh one.

This is to do with Enhanced Reliability status.

Cheers

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Ah the equivalent of a CRB check , tricky then yes. I know the situation in England is that Individuals can't apply for one , it has to be an organisation. Are you running into similar problems?

If you could give a few more details as to the issues you are having then maybe someone can come up with suggestions

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

The system does allow for individual to apply from England. But the system has been set up for use within the UK. So when you ask for an application form to be sent to you in Canada, they dont do it and dont tell you they wont.

Just wondered if anyone else had faced the same stupidity, in that Disclosure Scotland (DS) have informed all the embassies etc about their system. Hence Canada's Public Works group telling me to apply for a Basic Disclosure but then I get told by DS (after weeks of waiting them to send and resend applications) that it is not designed for use outside the UK.

Sorry just need to rant.

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

I found this on their website

Working abroadIf you are requested to supply a Disclosure Certificate by an organisation from abroad you should discuss this issue directly with any prospective employer/organisation.

Customers frequently seek our advice in relation to obtaining an 'Apostille' for a Basic disclosure certificate in order to satisfy the requirements of the authorities in the country where they are/will be working/living (an 'Apostille' is the legal term for the legalisation of a certificate, official proof that it is what it claims to be). Disclosure Scotland requires notification that this service is required when submitting an application to reduce any delay to the customer. Disclosure Scotland cannot directly provide an Apostille, this can only be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Foreign aonce a signature, seal or stamp on a document is checked against their database, which confirms that the document is authentic and genuine.

Disclosure Scotland can only form part of the Apostille process for a Basic disclosure. Disclosure Scotland can provide a Basic disclosure certificate, signed and stamped by an authorised signatory who is recognised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There are currently 2 such registered signatories at Disclosure Scotland.



Overseas Applications and Posting of CertificatesPlease be aware that the £23.00 cost of a Disclosure includes the cost of First Class Postage within the United Kingdom.

The need to supply application forms or indeed Disclosure Certificates outside of the UK was not envisaged, and is not reflected, in the overall cost of a Disclosure.

We currently have no agreement to send items outwith the UK. Therefore any non-UK mail is sent via Surface Mail, not Airmail, and may take time to reach their destination.

In the meantime, there is a possible alternative where customers could nominate an alternative UK postal address which they would like the forms/certificate to be sent to. Such an arrangement would need to be made with Disclosure Scotland when submitting an application.

Do you have any one in The UK who you could get it sent to?

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Hi Zoe

This only appeared in the last few weeks and after I started to ask for it to be sent to Canada.

I have it started by the very long route of using UK relative to forward it onto me. But with UK-Canada postal times being in the order of 7 - 10 days it is still a pain. Especially as you have to get application form posted to you in Canada then you can ONLY return it via postal service as they wont accept scanned/emailed or faxed verstion.

So its something like this:

Forms to UK relative ~ 2 days
Forms to you in Canada ~ 10 days
Forms from you to Scotland ~ 10 days
Certificate prep ~ 14 days
Certificate to UK relative ~ 2 days
Certificate to you in Canada ~ 10 days

So 48 days worst case......

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

yep , it officially sucks :thumbdown:

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

This is my biggest issue with them, they have informed embassies of their service hence why the Canadians know of it..........(there is a letter on their website from the American Embassy saying "Thanks for letting us know about this service......etc"

Cheers

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Hi, dont know if this would suffice but have you considered asking for a "subject access" report through the local police force that covered your area when you lived in the UK ?

Most UK police forces allow you to download the application form directly from their website and you can then post them to them with proof of ID such as copy of your passport and proof of your current address and the appropriate fee.

This shows if you have a police record or not and it is what used to be used for immigration purposes before the current police reports were introduced I believe. It would also show any cautions or spent convictions or any other information held on the police national computer though as it is primarily for your own use.

I dont know if they have any issues with sending it abroad or not but you are entitled to have a copy of it under the data protection act.

It would cut out some of the postal delays too.

Hope this helps.

Bob.

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Thanks Bob.

Very much got hands tied on this one at moment as Public Works have said to get Disclosure Scotland's certificate. I asked if i could provide one with my last UK address on it but was told no.....must be Canadian address.

I posted this to see if anyone else has had issues but also just in case anyone does a search on the forum they might get some advice from this thread.

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Sorry that dosent help JB, there must be a way for you. keep trying and best of luck.

Bob.

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

I am on day 20 of the timeline I put in my other post.....they have had the application since tues so will see if the timeline is correct.

If anyone is reading this and thinking of working in government when they come over, grab yourself the Basic Disclosure application form and bring it with you.

Cheers

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Here is the latest twist:

If you ask them to send the certificate to a UK address of a relative who will then forward it onto me.....the address on the certificate will be the "UK care of (C/O) address".

Hence you end up with a certificate which is useless and I think also legally wrong....I have never lived at my C/O address but this gives the impression I have.

So I asked them to reprint it with my Canadian address on and was told "no you would have to re-apply"....yeah right....one manager late....they will reissue it tomorrow and try to catch it before it goes out into the post.

Incompetence at it greatest.....thank you Disclosure Scotland....thanks alot. :frown:

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Consider it practice for when you have to deal with any cell phone company in Canada :)

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

Another update:

If you ask Disclosure Scotland to send you an application form direct to you in Canada it will take 6 - 7 weeks as it is sent via Royal Mail's slowest service. Known as Surface Mail, for those "less important items".

If you follow Disclosure Scotland's website advice and include written request for the certificate to be sent to a UK address they will do it but....there is always a "but" with Disclosure Scotland.....they will put the UK address on the certificate rather than the one u specify in application form.

So if you have been told to get a certificate in your name and address, what Disclosure Scotland send it useless unless you can wait another 7 weeks for the surface mail route.

Got a complaint in at the moment....we will see what happens next.

Grrrrr

JB

Re: Basic Disclosure
 

I am not the only one. :)

I was contacted by an engineering company today and asked do you have Enhanced Reliability status? ....when I explained I am having problems getting a Police Certificate out of the UK, they said:

"we have another brit working for us and he had major hassles with a scotish group....is that the same group?....they would not send it directly to Canada, then they put the wrong address on etc"

Blimey it is not just me.

JB

PS: I have a spare Disclosure Scotland form so if anyone has been asked by Public Works to get a Police Certificate for "employment" purposes please PM me and I'll send it over.

Current Status: My complaint worked and they said as a special favour they will send the certificate with my canadian address on it, to my UK forwarding address. But when they did that the Royal Mail returned it to them and they did not bother to tell me. So after waiting 7 days, I contacted them to ask where was it and was told it had been returned. They were not sure why and why no one at there end had not done anything about it. So, after handing over the forwarding address for the fifth time, it is suppose to be in post now....we will see...we will see