Hi,
At the start of this year I returned from living in China for period of two years. However I foolishly didn’t get a criminal record check done before returning. Now it’s almost impossible for me to obtain one for my time in China. In theory I should be able to nominate a friend with the power of attorney to complete the check but we’ve tried multiple times only to be rejected and not given a reason as to why. As in they won’t even process the paper work even if shown a translated styrene granting my friend the power of attorney.
However I have been able to obtain a written statement from my former employer stating my good conduct whilst working for them and that my employment and visa were contingent on having a clean criminal record. I wondering if this would possibly accepted in place of the Chinese police check certificate. To be clear I have a totally clean criminal record and getting one for my home country isn’t an issue, it’s just accounting for my time abroad.
4 comments
This is something you need to ask the consulate you’re applying through ASAP. Email them today.
Since living in China, you would have to go through an attorney in order to get a PCC since they can be strict on those sort of things if you’re not in the country. I know because I had to go through so much research to see how to receive one. If you lived in Shanghai, there are services who can get you one quickly. HOWEVER, if you lived outside of Shanghai or the other man cities, it’s going to cost you more since they are refusing to accept your friend as a PoA.
You won’t have to apply for this PCC until you know you’re accepted onto the program, but I recommend bringing it up to your consulate for future reference. You won’t need to apply for it since it’s not your home country until you get the results. And it can take some time to get a certificate back and cost big money since you are not in China anymore. The cost can range between $150-800 (my range since I lived in Chongqing), which is pricey for a PCC. Do let them know the difficulty of receiving a PCC from China on the outside to your consulate as well.
They could be lenient considering the situation you are in. I do wish you the best of luck on your application into the JET Programme.
Why do you need a Criminal Record Certificate from China?
Don’t you only need one from the country that you are currently applying from? And doesn’t apply generally require you to reside in the country from which you are applying?
I have heard form other friends that if you make a good case as to the trouble from getting such a document from the mainland, that JET will be slightly more lenient. From their experience, they said they just told Jet that the Zero covid policy would make getting into China a hassle, plus the quarantine time, official and surprise ones along the way would add too many delays. I will say though, that those folks were JET upgrades so they didn’t have much time to begin with hence why JET decided to compromise with them. With that said, if to anyone reading this who is in China strongly recommend getting such a document now while you are in China if you decide to apply to JET. Any lenience on JET’s part may only be due to current circumstances