Unobtainable Police Certificate : Steps Taken and Clarification for DV Lottery Interview

[mohammed.im]

Hello,

I am a sub-applicant for the DV Lottery program, and my wife is the main applicant. I have traveled extensively for work and lived in several countries, typically for short durations of less than two months, except for one instance during the COVID-19 period. I have successfully obtained PCCs for some countries but faced challenges obtaining PCCs from Yemen, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Bangladesh due to specific local regulations or circumstances.

For Yemen, it was confirmed that a PCC is not required due to the lack of a centralized criminal record system. For Iraq and Kurdistan, local procedures require my presence or representation by a local individual, which has been challenging due to the closure of my projects and the absence of contacts in these regions. For Bangladesh, I was on a business visa, and the authorities informed me they do not issue PCCs for individuals on such visas.

I have gathered explanation letters and supporting documents for all unobtainable PCCs and submitted them with my case. Could you please confirm if this approach is sufficient for the DV interview process, or advise if there are additional steps I should take?

Thank you for your assistance.Unobtainable Police Certificate from Kurdistan Region: Steps Taken and Clarification for DV Lottery Interview

 

[SusieQQQ]

Your first port of call should be (1) checking the requirements for submitting a PCC for an immigrant visa and (2) checking the DOS reciprocity tables to see what they say about how to get PCCs and if there are exceptions to the requirement to submit one.

Re (1), it’s a little confusing as you mention “living” in countries for 2 months. Are you trying to get PCCs for all those,and if so, why? I haven’t seen a DV selection letter for a while but I believe it still directs you to examine the instructions on the DOS website, which for PCCs state:

If you are 16 years of age or older, you must submit a police certificate from the following locations:

From ...	AND...	THEN the applicant needs a police certificate from...
the country of nationality if they resided there for more than 6 months	is 16 years old or older	the police authorities of that locality.
the country of current residence (if different from nationality) if they resided there for more than 6 months	was 16 years or older at that time	the police authorities of that locality.
any previous country or countries of residence if residing there for more than 12 months	was 16 years or older at that time	the police authorities of that locality.
any country where arrested for any reason, regardless of how long they lived there	was any age at that time	the police authorities from place of arrest.

Prepare Supporting Documents

travel.state.gov

Re (2), firstly, I do not believe Kurdistan is recognized as a sovereign nation and there is no entry for it in the reciprocity tables.
for Bangladesh, there are no exceptions to the requirement for a PCC. Your business visa probably means you didn’t actually reside there? https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...nd-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Bangladesh.html
for Iraq, there are no exceptions. Applicants outside Iraq can apply for a certificate through the Iraq Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence. https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...city-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Iraq.html
For Yemen, it states that PCCs are unreliable and not required for immigrant visa processing https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...ity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Yemen.html

It is better to include a copy of the reciprocity page stating exceptions or not required than give your individual excuse, for Yemen or any other country where it is appropriate. If the pages state no exceptions (and no mention of records not required) you are expected to have them, again, ensure you actually need what you are looking for according to the table above, and please ensure that you have read the full DV immigrant visa application instructions to make sure you have everything else covered that you need.

 

[mohammed.im]

“I worked in Iraq for a project, and my travel pattern involved working for approximately two months at a time, followed by 14 days of leave. While I never continuously stayed in Iraq for more than six months, my cumulative stay exceeded one year. I attempted to obtain a PCC from the Iraqi Embassy in Sri Lanka, but they informed me that a Sri Lankan national must be physically present in Iraq to apply for the PCC on my behalf. Since I don’t know any Sri Lankans residing in Iraq, the embassy suggested contacting an Iraqi lawyer who could then coordinate with a local Iraqi to obtain a power of attorney and request the PCC. I attempted to contact multiple lawyers, but they didn’t respond, and I was concerned about potential scams when dealing with unknown contacts online. Ultimately, the Iraqi Embassy provided me with a letter explaining my situation and why I was unable to obtain the PCC. Will this explanation and supporting documentation suffice for my visa application?”

 

[SusieQQQ]

I don’t know if it will suffice but if it’s all you have you don’t really have an option but to submit it and see what the consular officer says.

By the way, you shouldn’t be surprised if your application undergoes extra administrative processing (extra checks) due to your travel history. This is normal for people who’ve spent time in countries with elements hostile to the US.

 

[mohammed.im]

I don’t know if it will suffice but if it’s all you have you don’t really have an option but to submit it and see what the consular officer says.

By the way, you shouldn’t be surprised if your application undergoes extra administrative processing (extra checks) due to your travel history. This is normal for people who’ve spent

 

[mohammed.im]

Since the website mentions that for unobtainable PCCs, a written explanation should be provided, I have submitted a detailed explanation along with supporting documents, including my travel planner. However, I am concerned about the impact this may have on my visa application. Since my wife is the main applicant for the DV Lottery, will her visa be delayed or affected due to my situation with the unobtainable PCCs? Also, is there any risk of my visa being rejected despite providing the necessary documentation, and is there anything else I should consider or provide to improve my chances?





Additionally, since the website indicates that a written explanation is required for unobtainable PCCs, I want to confirm if my explanation, supporting documents, and travel planner will be sufficient to address this issue during the interview process. Could there be any complications or delays in the process, and how can I best prepare for this?

 

[SusieQQQ]

Since the website mentions that for unobtainable PCCs, a written explanation should be provided, I have submitted a detailed explanation along with supporting documents, including my travel planner. However, I am concerned about the impact this may have on my visa application. Since my wife is the main applicant for the DV Lottery, will her visa be delayed or affected due to my situation with the unobtainable PCCs? Also, is there any risk of my visa being rejected despite providing the necessary documentation, and is there anything else I should consider or provide to improve my chances?





Additionally, since the website indicates that a written explanation is required for unobtainable PCCs, I want to confirm if my explanation, supporting documents, and travel planner will be sufficient to address this issue during the interview process. Could there be any complications or delays in the process, and how can I best prepare for this?

Only the consular officer can decide if what you have submitted is sufficient. If they need anything else they will tell you at the interview.

in the event your visa application is delayed or denied, it does not affect your wife’s eligibility as principal applicant. Sometimes in these situations, consulates will issue the principal visa while they work on the derivative, but occasionally they will ask if the principal wishes to wait until the derivative is issued. if they offer you the latter option I personally would suggest you don’t -in other words I suggest you get the main visa issued as soon as possible - because you could face delays and extra expenses in the eventual visa issue due to things like medical expiring, or worst case run out the clock and lose the opportunity entirely.