how to gather all the documents

This information is current as of Dec 2009, in Illinois.

Criminal Background Check


Outdated info... skip this paragraph...
It has to be done by the state police, not the town you live in.  Info about it is on the IL state police website.  Its called something else.  There are two kind of checks, one that involves finger printing, and one that does not.  You want the finger printing one.  You can do it the slow cheap way which involve mailing things back and forth, or the fast more expensive way.  The fast way involves finding a "live scan vendor" (Google it.  I used Accurate Biometrics) in your area and having them fingerprint you.  Police told me it would be $30-40.  It cost me $40.  They will give you a receipt with a number on it.  The next day call the state police and request notarized copies (otherwise they will not be notarized and then cannot be apostilled).   I asked how many copies I could get, I was told they only do 2.  That whole thing only took like a couple days.   

2011- As I am getting ready to spend a second year in Korea, you now need an FBI background check.  The FBI website is very good at explaining what you need to do.  You must be fingerprinted, the police can do it.  It was a bit of a pain in the ass doing it in Korea.  I'm sure its much easier to do if you are in the US.  You will send the fingerprints, some personal info, payment (I cannot remember how much) and a cover letter telling them the background check is going to be apostilled and asking for some one's signature on it (FBI website tells you exactly what to ask for).  FBI will return the background check to you, and you must send it to the US Secretary or State requesting an apostille.  FBI will not send it directly to the Secretary of State.  The US Secretary of State website has a form you must send in with the background check.  Cost was $8 per document if I remember correctly.  Their site gave a turn around time of 15 days, which was pretty accurate in my case.  The FBI background check took several weeks.  But I have read on Dave's about it taking months for some people, so get started on that early.  Lack of an apostilled CBC just cost me a job, but I will write about that later.


Certified Diploma Copies

Master's degree
I got my MA from a big school.  I was able to search their website,for certified diploma copy, and found instructions to get them.  They say just send them a photocopy of your diploma.  They'll make up to 5 copies for free!  The school is in another state, so I called to see if they could send them to the secretary of state (in the state the school is located in) to have them apostilled.  They said ok.  I also called the SOS to confirm that I could do that.  I sent a paper for the school giving them instructions along with the photocopy of my diploma, and an envelop for the SOS with instructions for them and my credit card number to charge me for the apostille, which I think was $5 each.  I also found out during the call to my school that its pronounced "apo STEEL" not "apostle," which was embarrassing for me.  

Bachelor's degree
I got my BA from a tiny school near where I live.  They had nothing about it on their website.  When I went to the registrar to request transcripts I asked about the certified diploma copies, woman #1 knew nothing about it, but woman #2, sitting next to her remembered that woman #3 had done something like that before.  so #1 went and asked #3 about it, and came back a minute later and asked "is this for Asia?"  Yes it is!  They know what I want!  When I went back to get the diploma copies made, #3 was going to just notarize my diploma.  I told her I needed copies, I guess the one time she did this before it wasn't for copies, but it turned out to not be a problem.  She copied my diploma, and wrote on the back that its a copy of the original, signed it, and another person notarized it.  There was no special paper they copied it on or anything, just the signature and notary stamp.  I was worried this one wouldn't be good enough for the apostille cause the copy of my MA was printed on special university paper.  But it was ok. 

Transcripts

Schools give these out all the time, they are easy to order.  My recruiter is telling me I need 3 copies.  I don't know why so many.  They are $15 each from the school I got my MA from.  And free (if you can wait 2 weeks, otherwise $15 each) from my BA school. 

Apostille

The Secretary of State does it.  There's not much info about it on the SOS website.  I went to the Chicago office to have it done.  I was worried my BA diploma copies wouldn't cut it, but it was fine.  Only $2 per document.  The documents need to be notarized first.  They must be apostilled in the state in which they were notarized.  For example, I got my BA in Illinois, so when I got notarized copies made, I had to get the apostille from the Illinois SOS.  I got my MA in Iowa, so when I got my diploma copies notarized by the university, I had to get the apostille from the Iowa SOS. 

I felt good when I heard the guy in front of me in line pronounce it "apostle", clearly he is not experienced in these kinds of international processes as I am. 
 
These things were so confusing and stressful when I first started, but now I feel like a pro.  I mean I am assuming I didn't fuck anything up.

The biggest stress ended up coming from trying to get a recommendation letter from my boss.