From Green to Red

In this case, I didn't have the option to plan ahead.  The requirement for a new "non-criminality certificate was added at about the same time my application went in.  I'd checked all the requirements several times since getting my green card, so had no warning I'd be needing this.  Otherwise I'd have gotten fingerprinted while visiting the US earlier this year.


Regarding who can and can't take fingerprints, go here:  https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

If possible, have your fingerprints taken by a fingerprinting technician. This service may be available at a law enforcement agency.

If submitting directly to the FBI, your local, county, or state law enforcement agencies may take your fingerprints for a fee. Also, some printing companies offer this service; check the yellow pages in your telephone book or search online.

You should have multiple sets of fingerprints taken, preferably by a fingerprinting technician.

Previously the standard was higher.  Now you can DIY or get anyone to try to do it for you.  Of course, if the prints aren't good enough for the FBI, you'll have wasted time, effort, and money for nothing.  This is why they still recommend a skilled fingerprint technician.

Looks like the FBI liked my fingerprints.  They not only used them, but even certified that I'm not a criminal. 

And, I just filled out a bunch of forms online, printed them, signed them, scanned them back in, and emailed them to an authentication service.  If nothing goes wrong (goes wrong, goes wrong...) my FBI certificate should be authenticated by the State Department and be the recipient of a lovely sticker from the Chinese Embassy.  Even better, I should have it delivered before the end of the month.  Then it just needs certified translations and I can turn it in and get my application back in motion.

I had a fingerprint card sent to the FBI in early June.  A few days ago, I received the completed report — no channeler, etc.  I have never seen a turn around like this before.

 

It's currently sitting in an inbox at the State Department.  Hopefully will be picked up within a few days and then get carried over to the Chinese embassy.

My new authentication service is great!  They emailed me to confirm the exact address of the shipping label now instead of waiting until the document was ready.  I'm hoping to hear from them soon about the current status.

And they wrote back.  The documents have been submitted to the Chinese Embassy in DC.

 

And it has arrived in DG.  Wife is out of town, so I'm contacting some former coworkers to see if I can get a good deal on translation services.

What worries me is that all the certifications are not super-firmly affixed to the certificate.  My old one had already separated all by itself.  if the cert page and the FBI document don't stay attached until they and the translations are compared by the police, I'll need a new copy done.

Translated copies acquired.

Just in case things get complicated, I'm waiting until Mrs. Lunatic gets back before the papers go over to the Department of Entry, Exit, Immigration, and Other Stuff Dealing with Stray Foreigners.

And it's back to being processed. 

Hopefully it won't take long for Dongguan to figure out if there's anything else needed and then it can move to Guangzhou.

 

Got another call from the happy friendly people at down at Foreigner Containment.

The good news.  My application made it to Guangzhou and was not summarily rejected do to me not quite looking Chinese. 

The bad news.  The want a few things.

1.  More copies of my photo.  Thankfully, we've got a digital copy, so can easily provide that.
2.  Some sort of paperwork from my village PSB.  Not hard, but may take a few days.  Oh, and they want photos for that too.
3.  Two copies of my love letter to China need to be written out by hand and then signed by me in person down at Foreigner Control.   

My ability to read Chinese is very very slowly expanding.  My ability to write it is . . . deeply lacking.  Plus, inflicting that much of my handwriting (no matter what the language) on innocent government employees is probably against the law in most countries.  My deepest hope is that they'll settle for my Chinese signature and be willing to live with my wife's handwriting.

Otherwise, this is going to take a very very long time. 

Extra copies of photos are being arranged.  Exactly what items I need to show the village police to get the correct form from them is being checked.  My poor wife is going to be spending some quality time writing out several copies of that letter on Saturday (Sunday is already booked for a charity board meeting).  Guess I need to practice my Chinese signature a few hundred more times.

So many people told me I wouldn't even be allowed to apply.  I did and my application made it to Guangzhou.  If they can't find anything else wrong with it, the next stop is Beijing.





(Small edits made since there was a slight mixup on which police station I needed paperwork from.)

 

The Village Police have finished the paperwork.  My wife is going over to get it and to grab the extra photos we had printed.

This afternoon, we go downtown so I can be laughed at for my poor writing skills masterfully apply my Chinese signature in front of the Foreigner Containment officers.  Only two copies are needed, and there's one spare in case I screw one up too badly.

I figured out the real reason why Da Shan chose his Chinese name.  大山 is very easy to write compared to many other Chinese characters.  I should have just named myself Yi (一).