Important Announcement about Criminal Background Checks

You will be electronically fingerprinted at one of PSI's testing sites, during regular testing hours.  It is offered for walk-ins only, on a first come first served basis.  The fee is $62.00 for the fingerprinting service.  Upon completion of PSI's electronic fingerprinting service, all data is forwarded to the Central Criminal Records Exchange, which conducts a statewide criminal history check.  The Central Criminal Records Exchange also sends your fingerprint data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which conducts a national fingerprint based criminal background check.  This is a time consuming process that takes between ten and twelve weeks.  The results of both your state and national data checks are sent directly to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) as soon as they are complete.

When you apply for a license with the DPOR you must submit, with your application, the verification form provided by PSI that is proof that your fingerprints have been submitted for a background check.
It is requested that you do not contact the DPOR, FBI or PSI during this process.
PSI is providing this fingerprinting service for the applicant's convenience. It is the applicant's responsibility to determine if they need this service.

So the bottom line is....According to DPOR;
No license will be issued until the background check is complete which means that an application for licensure can be held up for 2 or 3 months before a license will be issued.  If the report comes back and there is a criminal record, it could take up to 6 months or longer for an applicant to be issued a license and it would require that the applicant appear before an Informal Fact Finding Conference in Richmond to determine whether or not a recommendation be made to DPOR that a license be issued. And of course, there is now an additional cost of $62.00 involved in getting licensed.