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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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 Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:15 am Post subject: Xinjiang- Criminal Background Check |
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I've been accepted for a job in Xinjiang but it requires a criminal background check.
I am U.S. citizen but since age 22 I've lived nearly all my life in Japan. From Japan, how do I get this document?
Thanks. |
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jimpellow
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Posts: 913
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:27 am Post subject: Re: Xinjiang- Criminal Background Check |
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More jurisdictions in China have been requiring an FBI check for Americans. If so, you need to get fingerprinted from an FBI sanctioned facility and then submit those along with a $29(?) fee. Seems to take anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months, with possibly the level of your Wanderlust determining the length of time.
If Xinjiang currently does not require a national check, you need to find out what they will accept in your case.
Nail them down on it beforehand. Sometimes you will be told one thing, only to find out later that it was incorrect. |
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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:51 am Post subject: Re: Xinjiang- Criminal Background Check |
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| jimpellow wrote: |
More jurisdictions in China have been requiring an FBI check for Americans. If so, you need to get fingerprinted from an FBI sanctioned facility and then submit those along with a $29(?) fee. Seems to take anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months, with possibly the level of your Wanderlust determining the length of time.
If Xinjiang currently does not require a national check, you need to find out what they will accept in your case.
Nail them down on it beforehand. Sometimes you will be told one thing, only to find out later that it was incorrect. |
Thanks. My agent said that https://www.certifiedbackground.com/ would be fine, but that seems to good to be true. I sure don't have the money to go to Tokyo to have the prints taken or the time to wait around before the new semester.
Well, call it wishful thinking but considering the security situation in Xinjiang I would not be surprised at all if they require the FBI check.
Now- I guess even if the FAO says the .com check is OK but it turns out not to be with immigration, I won't have time to apply somewhere else. For instance, I already have an offer from Hebei and they didn't mention anything about it. hmmm
Any info on Xinjiang would be greatly appreciated. |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:59 am Post subject: |
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| Xinjiang is next to Tibet and quite restive. The locals don't particularly like the Chinese Mandarin 'invasion' and the attempt to wipe out their customs and put the top jobs in the hands of peeps from Beijing. I was in the region some years ago and I am not surprised with the need for security checks. Other regions in China would be more peaceful I would imagine.. |
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Guerciotti
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 842
Location: In a sleazy bar killing all the bad guys.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Blue, if the dot com solution works, use it!
If not, they might accept a state CRC or background check. Most states will do this online in a week or two. Or so I've heard. I am not sure because ...
My state (Arizona) does not provide CRCs for visa purposes, so I had to go the FBI route. I waited 3 months for the report - they billed my account three months after they received my request - and now I am waiting for the report to arrive in the mail. Perhaps two to three weeks more time. The point is, if you must go the FBI route, you wait and wait and wait. Oh, and I did my fingerprints in Saigon. Not exactly convenient, but official. (Saigon - loved it)
So expedite! FWIW the FBI checks only cost $18 each, but you wait forever for them. So do whatever works fastest. |
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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 2:46 am Post subject: |
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| Guerciotti wrote: |
Hey Blue, if the dot com solution works, use it!
If not, they might accept a state CRC or background check. Most states will do this online in a week or two. Or so I've heard. I am not sure because ...
My state (Arizona) does not provide CRCs for visa purposes, so I had to go the FBI route. I waited 3 months for the report - they billed my account three months after they received my request - and now I am waiting for the report to arrive in the mail. Perhaps two to three weeks more time. The point is, if you must go the FBI route, you wait and wait and wait. Oh, and I did my fingerprints in Saigon. Not exactly convenient, but official. (Saigon - loved it)
So expedite! FWIW the FBI checks only cost $18 each, but you wait forever for them. So do whatever works fastest. |
Well, I might next year but if something goes wrong there's no time for this semester. Something tells me that Xinjiang will still be around next year and still need teachers!
Thanks for the info. |
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hdeth
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Posts: 583
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 3:20 am Post subject: |
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| For some provinces an online checks have at least worked in the past. Things change constantly here so you never know though. I had an online check from the Washington State Patrol for my first job here (Qingdao) then needed a certified WSP check for Beijing. |
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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| hdeth wrote: |
| For some provinces an online checks have at least worked in the past. Things change constantly here so you never know though. I had an online check from the Washington State Patrol for my first job here (Qingdao) then needed a certified WSP check for Beijing. |
I just got a message from the FAO saying "Don't worry about security in Xinjiang" (I'm not) and "We need a foreign teacher so please make a decision."
Two things: I am a U.S. citizen but Japan is my country of residency, and indeed I have a permanent residency permit here. Some districts insist that you apply from the country that you are a passport holder to, but I've no desire to fly all the back to the States, where both my folks are gone and I have no place to go really. Certainly no job.
I asked him about in an email but he mentioned nothing. In Chongqing some years ago, despite permanent residency in Japan, I was not allowed to apply from here. In GZ (and apparently in most places), it was OK.
The other thing is that I cannot get a clear answer on whether I need an FBI check or not. But if I don't, how do I get a background check for my state? There seem to be a lot of .com services out there- which is considered reliable? ceritifiedbackgroundDOTcom?
Frankly, with the situation the way it is in Xinjiang, I would not be surprised at all if they require an FBI check. As much as I'd love to go there this year, maybe it will have to be next year... |
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Guerciotti
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 842
Location: In a sleazy bar killing all the bad guys.
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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Ask the FAO a direct question. Is the https://www.certifiedbackground.com/ acceptable? If so, get one. Make it easy. If not, try your state.
To get a state "background check" or "criminal record check" or whatever term they use, search your state with those terms. Maybe add 'visa' as a search term, as that is the purpose of your CRC/background check. Only two states won't do it for a visa, so your odds are good.
If you can get it done online, why not? Is there an address you can use in the states? Any relatives? Friend?
You need not fly back to the states for an FBI report, but you do need to go to Vietnam or Japan or somewhere to get official prints. Then wait.
Yes, I guess it is a bit late for an FBI report needed by September first.
Hope this all works out for you. |
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bluetortilla
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 815
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Guerciotti wrote: |
Ask the FAO a direct question. Is the https://www.certifiedbackground.com/ acceptable? If so, get one. Make it easy. If not, try your state.
To get a state "background check" or "criminal record check" or whatever term they use, search your state with those terms. Maybe add 'visa' as a search term, as that is the purpose of your CRC/background check. Only two states won't do it for a visa, so your odds are good.
If you can get it done online, why not? Is there an address you can use in the states? Any relatives? Friend?
You need not fly back to the states for an FBI report, but you do need to go to Vietnam or Japan or somewhere to get official prints. Then wait.
Yes, I guess it is a bit late for an FBI report needed by September first.
Hope this all works out for you. |
The FAO seems like a gentle man who seems to think I'm afraid of terrorism rather than understanding my predicament. I am waiting for that website to get back to me, but they too are taking their time. The thing is, a .com check may be fine for him, but maybe not for the authorities. This kind of stuff happens all the time in China: the school and the FAO want you but the local authorities throw a wrench in at last moment. I have heard that asking for FBI checks for Americans is not all that at uncommon in certain districts. Your information will certainly be helpful for the future though. I live in Japan now, so going to the U.S. is out of the question at the moment.
The whole thing seems too risky time-wise at this late juncture. Maybe next year. Maybe I'll just visit Xinjiang. It seems fascinating.
I hope this can be of help to other U.S. citizens (I don't think other nationalities are affected by this as much). It's prudent to get an FBI check when you get a chance. I suppose Beijing or Shanghai could handle the fingerprinting. Be sure that if any misdemeanors show up that you get them expunged. I was fined for drinking a beer in a public park in Waikiki (on vacation!) over 20 years ago- I know that's silly but it could cost you your visa. That's the only law I broke (I didn't even know it was a law) and got caught for!  If it does come up get it expunged and do the procedure again (Incidentally, I paid 5 USD for an online service and found no records for my name). Sometimes it will still show up I've heard and you have to get a hold of a judge (I would think you could do it all through correspondence). The whole process could end up taking up the better part of a year. But you won't have to worry about it ever again.
And it's pretty cheap too- 20 USD or something. That's what I've learned from this. You learn something new every day.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement. For now, I'm heading to a nice uni in Henan. It's all quite ridiculous if you ask me, but in the case of Xinjiang I can understand the cautious approach they're taking. |
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mysterytrain
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366
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| Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| bluetortilla wrote: |
Maybe I'll just visit Xinjiang. It seems fascinating.
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Fascinating, boring, exotic, and mundane ... all of the above, in heaps ... at least, that was my experience, and it's one I won't forget. Certainly unique in some ways. I definitely feel nostalgia for the region and for the experiences I had in the ten months I spent there, and sometimes ... sometimes ... feel tempted to go back.
Technically, as far as I can understand, you should be able to apply for Z visa through a Chinese embassy or consulate in Japan, since you have legal residency there, and possibly even submit a CBC from there as well ... after all, if you have been living in Japan and / or China for the many years, having a clear record in those countries SHOULD be more important ... however, some provincial governments may not see it that way.
I am currently waiting for the paperwork (approved and already in the mail) to apply in Indonesia, for a job in Guizhou, and they accepted my CBC report from the Indonesian National Police, but naturally, mileage will vary from province to province.
My time in Xinjiang predated the requirement for CBC (2010-11). |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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mike w
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 1071
Location: Beijing building site
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| Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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And the relevance of this for the CBC requirement is ..........? |
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currentaffairs
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828
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| Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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| mike w wrote: |
And the relevance of this for the CBC requirement is ..........? |
If you read further the OP did mention the "security situation in Xinjiang.." |
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wawaguagua
Joined: 10 Feb 2013
Posts: 190
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| I have nothing to add on the criminal background check front, as I did that from the US before I came to China. I'll just say that I've been working in Xinjiang for the past two years (+ three months) and I just signed another contract to work here for a third year. It's very relaxed here, and depending on what kind of job you're taking you'll have the opportunity to learn a lot about the various ethnic groups that live here and their cultures. If you're working in the basic franchise school catering to upper middle class Han families, you'll have to make minority friends on your own (if that's something you're interested in), but not difficult at all considering many people here are very curious about foreigners. As for security issues, that's something a lot of local people are paranoid about but I take it with a grain of salt. You're probably more likely to get hit by a car in Beijing. |
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