I have been looking for volunteer works, but all of them require background checks that take WEEKS because I am a foreinger. I have been in the US more than 6 years with no problems! As much as I understand they want to ensure safety, it seems totally redundant because one, I am positive that it only take a few days to see what I have been doing for last 6 years (I have done absolutely nothing wrong in the US for last 6 years), and two, when USCIS approved my student visa they already did BC on my history in the USA AND Korea(spent 14 years).
Has anyone faced this problem? And how did you resolve this? Or did you just suck it up and wait with more patience?I have just been told I can’t volunteer because the church archdiocese decided they want to check my entire history in Korea and USA…
“I have been looking for volunteer works, but all of them require background checks that take WEEKS because I am a foreinger.”"
Did you NOT read the first sentence? The point is, this time consuming background checks force me to wait for weeks when my other peers already start doing something
I would ask if there’s anything you can do to help the process along (e.g. if they were struggling to contact one of your personal references, you could provide another one). Other than that, it’s just a waiting game. If you push to move forward without the background check, you’ll invite suspicions that you have something to hide.
Do you know what’s causing the hold-up?
The standard checks on the US side (e.g. FBI fingerprints, criminal convictions, credit history, driving records, school enrollment) are automated and should be quick to perform. However, if there’s a human element to their screening (e.g. contacting references) there’s no telling how long that process would take.
We also wouldn’t know what they want from the Korean side or how long it would take for them to obtain all of those records.
Not the most convincing argument. There’s plenty of things a volunteer organization may care about that the consulate does not check before issuing a visa (e.g. your driving record, which would be highly relevant if your volunteer duties include driving).
From what I gathered, different volunteer organizations have different background check processes, and I don’t know how archdiocese handles this but only thing that the church volunteer director said was that that’s just how they handle foreigner BC and are very strict regarding the BC. Ofc I wouln’t want to push forward without BC.
Come to think of it I also have to call the hospital that I am considering to volunteer for and how they handle it…I m thinking about volunteering during semester and I don’t want to face same problem again
Is this a Roman Catholic Diocese? If so, then it should be no surprise that they are concerned about background checks.
Look for other places where you can do volunteer work - especially work that doesn’t have to do with children or handling money. Chances are that those background checks won’t take quite as long.
Do hospital volunteer take long as well?
I don’t know about the hospital that I am considering to work for, but there was another hospital that I tried and they said it would take MONTHS…like wut
I know that the background checks at my hospital took months, and that was for “domestic” applicants/volunteers.
Dont presume to think that it’s just because you are a “foreigner”.
It’s not just checking your static history, they also have to cross-reference information-mental health, physical health records, vaccinations, blood donations, CPS records, etc. This takes time and money. Now, that the Zika virus has traveled, they don’t want staff and patients exposed.
You are dealing with confidential health information of patients. The administrators do not want any possible liabilities from hiring or admitting anyone who could pose a “risk” to the patients and staff.
I used to work in a residential group home for foster youth, oftentimes as the only adult. You’d think that would require a comprehensive background check… but I don’t think they did much beyond the standard fingerprinting.
On the other end of the spectrum, there was one volunteer opportunity I was interested in that I decided not to pursue because the background check was so annoyingly comprehensive. For example, they wanted to speak to 5 personal references: a close family member, a current coworker, a coworker from a previous job, a significant other / roommate / neighbor, and a non-family non-coworker friend. (The application encouraged us to name at least two people in each category, so that they’d have a backup in case they couldn’t reach someone.)
If the church is stalling on your application, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to start looking for other opportunities.
Fingerprints for federal forms, jobs, etc., are only good for 18 months. After that, you have to resubmit and get a new clearance. You’d think they’d only have to check for anything since the last fingerprinting but no, the entire search has to be done again. There are often different levels of checks if you are going to be interacting with children. At my children’s school, parent volunteers had one level, but coaches, scout leaders, teacher’s aid had a high level of clearance and a longer pre-volunteer course requirement.