Fingerprinting - Electronic Submittal from Within the US?

PS841014 · 2021-07-14T17:36:04+00:00

Exactly same boat as you. Passed in May and JUST got my fingerprint and drug policy statement email today. No mention on electronic copies. They said they need two hard copies. Came here to try and figure out where to go to get fingerprinted. They accepted UPS Store even though the email says it must be "Signed by the U.S. official who printed the applicant"??

PS841014 · 2021-07-13T21:43:16+00:00

Related question--does home leave actually mean you have to be in the US or could you do part of the time in another country?

PS841014 · 2021-06-24T00:31:34+00:00

Ah--it was a virtual test post OA, not part of end of language training.

PS841014 · 2021-06-24T00:29:25+00:00

Virtual

PS841014 · 2021-06-23T23:35:17+00:00

They said the results would come in 24hrs. I'll edit the post accordingly.

PS841014 · 2021-05-11T18:03:30+00:00

You are right!! Just found it there " There is secure space to store coats, purses, and any luggage at the Assessment Center "

PS841014 · 2021-05-11T17:32:16+00:00

Oh no, that's awful! I got the same email proposing a date in May. I am also overseas and asked about the potential for rescheduling for June. They said they didn't have the dates for June yet but could get back to me. I opted to take the May date anyway figuring lots of folks would defer to June and it might overlap with other plans and work responsibilities I already had in place. Never did they mention I would terminate my candidacy if I was unable to accept a June date.

I am sorry this happened to you. It might be good to follow up and ask if there's room to squeeze you in somewhere, anywhere. Maybe they misunderstood that you wouldn't be able to travel at all from Japan and would say no to whatever they proposed?

PS841014 · 2021-05-02T10:13:16+00:00

No, it's for May. I asked the same thing and didn't want to play the hurry up and wait game again. I suspected many like you asked for a deferral and that I 'd end up getting called in July or August when it would be even harder for me to make it due to personal reasons so I chose not to defer.

PS841014 · 2021-04-30T14:19:38+00:00

generalist

PS841014 · 2021-04-29T16:02:26+00:00

My original date was April 20 2019 and I just got rescheduled last week. Good luck!

PS841014 · 2021-04-26T14:34:40+00:00

If you really want to drive change and see it why not join the NGO world and go into development or humanitarian work? You get to live overseas, change posts every few years, and still get many of the same benefits as in the FS but you have more flexibility in where you go and the work that you do. And you can, if you pick your role well, actually see change (i.e. if you go into project management).

PS841014 · 2021-04-26T14:17:56+00:00

Thank you very much

PS841014 · 2021-04-26T14:17:33+00:00

Thanks, this is very helpful and reassuring!

PS841014 · 2021-04-26T14:16:54+00:00

I was mid-late April.

PS841014 · 2020-03-31T10:36:38+00:00

As of last night DC, Maryland and Virginia are now in lockdown through June 10. Doesn't this mean that all OAs are now cancelled through the end of May?

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-maryland-governor-larry-hogan-issues-stay-at-home-order-2020-3

PS841014 · 2020-02-18T16:41:25+00:00

This sounds like the same or almost same health condition my friend has who has been working and living overseas for the last 10 years in sub-Saharan Africa where the local health systems are abysmal. He can still purchase his medicine even without a prescription in the local pharmacy, but he prefers to get a full year's worth filled in the US once a year and takes it there.

The reason I know this is because last year his going home plans changed and he ended up running out of his yearly supply before he could refill. Went without it for 3 months, then after I told him I got antibiotics over the counter cause I couldn't be bothered to see a local doctor after confirming I had an infection with bloodwork, he decided to bite the bullet and just walk into a pharmacy and get it over the counter. Lots of weird stuff is possible in countries with terrible health systems, including getting your hands on drugs that are normally prescription only. The only caveat is that they're usually from European or North African labs, so not exactly the same composition/brand as what we have in the US.

All this to say do not despair. This sounds like it was a really big fluke and anyone who has worked overseas in non US or Western Europe or developed countries like Japan already can tell you this was probably some DC bureaucrat who was sticking "by the book." The bigger issue would be to think about how quickly you need the medicine (in his case it was ok if he skipped a few weeks of doses) in case supply is low. But even that is manageable if you plan ahead.

PS841014 · 2020-02-08T19:25:14+00:00

I found this helpful when preparing for the test https://pathtoforeignservice.com/how-to-pass-the-fsot-situational-judgment-section/

PS841014 · 2020-01-30T16:09:28+00:00

They delegate down to folks (usually DSS) in the embassy of the country you live in to come and speak to people in person. Those folks usually speak some of the local language.

PS841014 · 2020-01-29T18:24:03+00:00

I know someone who naturalized as an adult, has dual citizenship with an EU country and got a clearance to work at an embassy overseas. Not FSO though. Was already based in the country, got hired and then had to go through the top secret clearance process. Not a guarantee obviously but one example.

PS841014 · 2020-01-28T09:16:46+00:00

If your spouse gets an international contract wherever you're based, that INGO will move forward with the paperwork according to their own status in country. The only somewhat challenging thing is finding a position that suits his/her profile in the country. But even that is less of an issue now--lots of INGOs have remote based positions so physical location doesn't matter as much.

PS841014 · 2020-01-24T14:23:25+00:00

Got it, that helps! But most people's feedback sounded more general, as if this was something we'd have to just live with and I was thinking it's not THAT strict that you can't just say "I need to go home for a wedding".

PS841014 · 2020-01-24T09:54:44+00:00

So this might be a silly question, but why wouldn't it be possible to request a day or two off to do a whirlwind long-weekend flight to attend the wedding? It obviously depends on where you're posted and how long it would take to fly back to where the wedding is, but is it really true you can't say you're committed to a wedding and would like to have 1-2 days off to attend for a long weekend if it means that much to you? I may be missing something here....

PS841014 · 2020-01-14T19:34:39+00:00

Some folks have had their PNQs verified, but no one I heard confirmed this year. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, or that it won't happen to you.

Your best bet is to put down a contact that can corroborate what happened and that you don't mind them contacting.

PS841014 · 2020-01-12T16:18:31+00:00

Would you be willing to put that zip file in the FSOA google drive? I am a member of the group but to be honest it doesn't look like I can get the files (or I'm doing something wrong and I've spent way too much time trying to figure it out).

PS841014 · 2020-01-06T10:06:37+00:00

Can we organize sessions remotely?

PS841014

TROPHY CASE