How to get Police Check?

[Lara Croft]

Apologies if this has been asked many times before, but can someone please advise me how I go about getting the Police Checks done? I am knee deep in paperwork for the ITA & NZQA, and I think I'm losing the will to live!!!

We are applying through the Skilled Migrant route, and are based in the North West (have always lived here).

Help and advice would be much appreciated....

[wiki]

Go to your local police station and ask for a form to get a criminal record check for emigration purposes - one for each person. Fill them out, attach a passport photo and come back to the police station with some ID and £10 for each check and the station will send them off and you'll get an acknowledgement letter saying they'll deal with it within 40 days - and then you'l get the letter saying what is or isn't held about you on the Police National Computer.

[Lara Croft]

Thanks Wiki, I hoped there would be a simple solution. You know when you just seem to be wading through paperwork, and nothing seems simple any more...

[migratory birds]

If you're applying from the US, go to a local police station to be fingerprinted (they have the official cards on which the place the prints) and send them off to the FBI in VA. I believe there was no need to send a photo with them as all identifying information is on the card and the police department is checking photo ID. When I applied nearly 2 yrs ago - it took about 4 mos before the FBI responded with the letter of clearance so it's one of the first things Americans should do when beginning to slog thru the paperwork.

The paperwork is small in comparison to what follows...wait till you start packing, trying to identify a home to land in (esp if moving with children) and experience those first few months in NZ!

Keep your head up and take it a step at a time - it's not so bad!

[BkyMonster]

4 months? Goodness. That's good to know for budgeting my time. I want to have my police checks good for the longest amount of time possible, but I was thinking they would take a month or so.
Good to know I should plan for more time than that.

[LesleyS]

If you're applying from the UK it doesn't normally take that long, our was back within 2 weeks.

[peebles16]

We got our return from Scottish Criminal Records Office in one week still waiting for the PNC check - wonder if we need both since apart from stint abroad never lived out of Scotland? Ah well applied for now and apparently the Scottish Information Comissioner will chase it for us if it's late - not holding my breath on that one!

[brightonbean]

Does anyone know how long the (UK) police checks are valid for? If there's anything else like this we can do early in preparation for what the NZIS will throw at us, can someone tell me? I might as well start out organised, although I doubt it'll last long...

[peebles16]

Hi Brightonbean
6 months for UK police checks is my understanding and the 40 days relates to working days.
Karen

[M&J]

We had to apply for a police Cert from US as OH lived there for a short time. If you put a date on the outside of the envelope they should deal with it quicker. OH got his back within a month, it was quicker than the UK ones.