British Consul - CNCC Letters Policy Change

[shri]

No clue what this change means and why it has happened last month. I assume this means that the consulate will not act as an intermediary to give applicants a letter to obtain a CNCC for work reasons etc. You'll need a letter from the relevant authority and then work some magic (sorry... cannot figure out what is really needed here) to get the CNCC issued by the HKPF.

From 8 June 2022 the British Consulate-General Hong Kong and The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London will no longer issue letters of verification to those applying for a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC) from the Hong Kong Police.

The authorities in Hong Kong have declared that CNCCs, the equivalent of a criminal records check, can only be obtained for reasons relating to applications for:

• a visa to visit or reside in another country
• the adoption of children

Consideration may also be given to exceptional circumstances where a CNCC is required to meet the legal or administrative requirements of foreign countries.

There are some statutory requirements for employers in the UK to carry out criminal records checks. If you need a CNCC you should apply directly to the Hong Kong Police. To do this you will need a letter of verification to support your application. This can be issued by either:

• the relevant UK government authority
• an official organisation - for example UCAS, a recognised education institution, or The Nursing and Midwifery Council, a healthcare body

The process for obtaining a CNCC is determined by the Hong Kong Police. Please visit CNCC FAQs for more information.

The notice can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...seas#hong-kong

The CNCC FAQ can be found here:

https://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/11_...crime_faq.html

[bdw]

For UK visa purposes, I don't see any problems or changes. The relevant authority is the UK home office, not the British consulate in HK. When you apply for UK visa, if you need a HK Police clearance then home office will give you a letter addressed to HK Police requesting the CNCC and then you use that letter to rock up to Police HQ and get the CNCC, then HK Police will send it to UK home office directly. So the British consulate in HK dont play any part in this and I think now they are just saying fuck off and dont come to us asking for the letter, get it from home office instead.

Where I see a problem is non-government matters, eg someone applying for a job in UK, employer requests a police clearance before being hired. HK Police will tell you to fuck off unless you have an official government request like from home office, so then this is the case where the consulate has in the past stepped in. Eg make an appointment at consulate, rock up and tell them some story why you need a HK CNCC, they say OK we will write you a letter to make the HK Police happy, then you can rock up the HK Police HQ with the letter from consulate.

So now the consulate are saying fuck off we dont want to do this shit anymore. So people are screwed if they need a HK police clearance for any kind of non-governmental matter. I think HK Police will accept letters from maybe adoption agencies if you are adopting a kid in UK and certain situations like this, but anyway you are going to have to plead your case with HK Police more directly.

I note Australian consulate in HK still provides these kind of services to Australians. But when I got my CNCC, I didnt need the consulate because I needed the CNCC for visa purposes, the letter was issued by department of home affairs in Canberra. Consulate in HK are not necessary.

[shri]

I guess I should get the next Goldman Sachs type banker who needs a CNCC to adopt my son or something..

[SinCWB]

The result of this change is really weird. Basically there are now jobs in the UK which you are banned from taking as a Brit from HK (you wont get a CNCC), but are fine if you are a non Brit from HK (you will get a CNCC).

Also weird that the decision for whom and which job this issue applies now lies with the HK police.

[mrgoodkat]

The result of this change is really weird. Basically there are now jobs in the UK which you are banned from taking as a Brit from HK (you wont get a CNCC), but are fine if you are a non Brit from HK (you will get a CNCC).

Also weird that the decision for whom and which job this issue applies now lies with the HK police.

HK police doesn't issue CNCC for work reasons. Not even for HK residents applying for jobs in HK. (Eg. Teachers). The only thing you can get is a sexual offences record check .

[SinCWB]

Yep, and the UK government doesnt accept SCRC and requires a CNCC for many roles if you want to work in the UK.

[SinCWB]

Basically, going forward if you are a Brit and want to work in the UK in an area that requires a CNCC, you need to check your organisation is on the HK Police approved list???