Gu2Me

I am most of the way through the I-130 process but am trying to get a police certificate from the Bahamas - without much luck.

Here goes - I lived in the Bahamas from July 96 to Sept 97.

Met future wife - a USC - and eventually returned to the US in Sept 98 to get married on a K1 (if I remember correctly!) During the process of the K1 paperwork I am sure I had to get a Bahamas police check but cant remember.

Anyway we moved back to the UK in 2003 - kids , house etc and now want to move back to the US.

Still following?........

So now I am trying to get another Police certificate from the Bahamas but I am being given the run around by them. I dont have any convictions but they have given me a million and one excuses why I havent received the certificate yet - including that as I didnt send it by Fed Ex or DHL it wont get there! According to the (UK) Post Office the request was delivered and also my cheque for the certificate was cashed - so someones got it somewhere! they are seriously stressing me out - this was all going so well before.

Anyway - as I have already held a green card since living in the Bahamas in 96, will USCIS see this and 'let me off' (for want of a better expression) getting another Police cert? I have read that I can produce a letter saying why I cant produce the certificate. Is this true? Has anyone tried it? Thankyou for any advice.

Rete

Didn't bother to save copies of the original immigration paperwork?

Did you check the USCIS website to see if it is one of the country's where a PC is not obtainable and therefore not required?

Noorah101

If you have tried all avenues and cannot procure a police certificate, bring in proof that you tried and could not get one. Worst case scenario, you won't be denied the immigrant visa, but you will be given more time to get the police certificate if London still feels it's necessary.

Side notes...did you actually abandon your green card which you obtained after the K-1 marriage and subsequent AOS? You've been living in the UK for the past 5 years, but have you looked into the fact that you *might* still be a US PR? Are your children USC's? If they are, make sure they have US passports to use for returning to the USA.

Rene

Noorah101

Here's what the Reciprocity Table says:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/re...city_3507.html

Available, but seems only in person...no instructions for obtaining one when outside the Bahamas.

Rene

Gu2Me

Thankyou all for your quick replys.

I dont have the original paperwork which leads me to believe I never received anything from the Bahamas back then, and the INS let it go.

I have spoken to the Bahamian police several times and they do issue certificates. I had to send a certified copy of passport, fingerprints, DOB etc and a small cheque. Right at the end of the Reciprocity paragraph it says that they will send them off the Island aswell.

I will try to contact the US Embassy and ask them. Thankyou.

Gu2Me

Noorah 101 - to answer your questions, we left the US in 2003 after a long time spent dealing with the INS. AOS complete and sparkly new Green Card in hand my wife decided it was time to leave the States and go live in the UK!!!

Anyway both the children are US/UK citizens, live birth abroad certs and all. Every now and again we go to see a lawyer in London to make sure we are still on track and up to speed. We saw one about a year ago and she said I would have to start again (which we knew when we left the US) and that it wouldnt be a problem as we have been married for ten years, have kids, US property etc - all pretty straight forward until the Bahamas thing.

To be honest Im happy doing it this way as ive spent most of the last 10 years dealing with immigration in one way or another and am happy to take the path of least resistance now!! Thanks and to everyone else - keep going you'll get there in the end..