Q & A: US Fingerprints

Q. I have contacted with my local police department and was informed that they are not allowed to do the finger printing for immigration since last year. The local police department also do not know where to get the finger printing for immigration. How do I get the fingerprints done?

Answer: Although it does relate to immigration to Canada, the INS sent instruction restricting the processing of fingerprints for US immigration matters. The result has been a misunderstanding which interferes with those seeking fingerprints for immigration to Canada.

In our experience with our own clients who encounter such difficulties, and where private fingerprinting agencies are unavailable, stating that the request is under the Freedom of Information Act (i.e., in this case, an individual is free to determine what criminal record information is being retained for him/her) has been successful in some cases.

In some cases, the local police will not issue the fingerprints anyhow. It may be necessary to locate a private fingerprinting agency in your local area to handle the process.