neill

You can do it yourself provided you can figure out how to fulfill the 5 items exactly as requested by USCIS.

All a lawyer is going to do in this case, is ask you for those exact 5 items and then file on your behalf, charging you in the process.. ?

maole

I did it myself and I signed the request. I don't get the number 5: the signature must either be notarized or signed under penalty of perjury.
Do I need a notary to legitimate the whole request ?
My lawyer offered to do it fir 800 dollars

neill

Signed under penalty of perjury. Someone correct me if i am wrong, but this means you can sign it and deal with the legal consequences of lying (as opposed to the notary).

maole

Ok, it seems it wasn't enough with my signature and I will start the process again with a notary's signature

scrubbedexpat099

You have 2 options, one that involves a notary and one that does not.

I can go into my local bank and get something notarised in 5 minutes for free.

maole

I will ask here in my bank, but Germany is very burocratic and usually you pay for everything

neill

Can't you do something like:

"Under penalty of perjury, I declare all statements written above to be true.

_________________________ signature

(Print name)

__________________________ date "


Cost: $0

maole

Thank you for being so helpful !

S Folinsky

Ian: a mistake is not a "lie." Also, there may very well be a misunderstanding. Even if there is no "lie" involved, it does not hang together. That is all I am saying.

S Folinsky

The G-28 is a notice of appearance by an attorney [or accredited representative].

For many years it was a one page form and did not change. A few years back it became a two page form. A year back it became a four page form. So much for the "Reduction of Paperwork Act." [I'm not joking about that law].

S Folinsky

On the attorney chat boards, there has been a level of extreme amazement that some electronically submitted FOIA's are now getting responses within a few weeks! Of course, the redactions are something else.

ian-mstm

You don't need a notary. This is the magic language you're looking for. This statement is an acceptable substitute for a legal jurat:

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America, that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on [date] by [signature].

Ian

S Folinsky

If memory serves me correctly, the necessary notarization is for acknowledgement and not a jurat. The declaration under penalty of perjury is a substitute for a jurat only.

Also, I'm not sure that a non-LPR non-citizen outside the UD has the right to see their own records.

maole

Well guys! Thank you for your help. I went to a German notary and he charged me 24 Euros and after that I went to a translation agency to get it into English (another 25 Euros), just in case, and on Thursday when I pick the certified translation I will sent the letter again. I think this try is much cheaper than the 800 dollars of the NYC' s lawyer.

Jerseygirl

I don't know about Germany but in the UK and Canada a notary has to be a qualified practicing solicitor...and yes they do charge. In the US any man and his dog can be a notary...the manager of my local UPS store was a notary. US notaries are not recognized in the UK.