Slicknurse

any approvals this week...

neerluck

Here is some information about my RFE.

1- They said I was missing the G325a for my wife. But I sent it in the package and I have proof that I sent it because I made photocopies of everything I mailed.

2- They did not recognize my marriage certificate, even though it was an official certified copy with the signature of the local judge and it was made in the local court.
I am loss of what more official marriage certificate I can get.

Buendia

I am so sorry! I wonder since the RFE items were not your fault, if there's a way to get them to expedite processing the RFE?

Buendia

Have you posted this to Matt Udall's thread on "why so many RFE's lately?" - I think it shows that there is a problem at USCIS and is worth discussing...

Rete

On your point No. 2: Was this the copy that the judge's office gave you after the ceremony or the copy of the registered marriage certificate which shows the seal of the city/state and the registration/filing marks. The first is not the marriage certificate they want; the second one is.

Rete

Buendia

Uh oh.
Is this for every country or just the US? Our marriage cert says clearly at the top "Marriage Certificate issued in pursuance of the Registration of Marriages Acts" and was issued by the registrar of marriages here in Ireland. Can't imagine there'd be a different certificate; I have a call into our local Registrar of Civil Marriages office.

This would be a good thing to add to the FAQ (filing tips) - to make sure from wherever you were married that you have an absolutely official (not just official looking) marriage certificate.

Buendia

I just called Dublin's Registrar of Civil Marriages. The certificate you are given after the ceremony is an official certificate. There is no other type, but copies can be obtained.

Neerluck, have you checked with the country where you were married? Is the certificate you sent to USCIS the official type?

neerluck

Yes, it is the official marriage certificate. After we got married in India. We went to local court which falls in our marriage place jurisdiction. We registered our marriage. Got the court stamps and the signature of the Judge. It even had our digital pictures on it. This is the only marriage certificate that is given. I had several copies made at the same time and got them certified there also.
And believe me it wasn't easy to get this certificate, becuase that I am a U.S citizen and my wife is a Indian citizen, we had to go thru special processing because the local courts are aware of marriage fraud. I had to bring 2 witnesses and the priest who married us to the court. The judge "interrogated" my wife, me, the witnesses and the priest, looked at the marriage photos and then Finally signed the marriage certificate.
I guess I will have to tell my wife to some notarized letters from the court telling that this is the official marriage certficate that is now being issued.

kud

No approval, but a call from my congressman BCIS laison, that she received my package.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

Buendia

Have you seen the thread that Matthew Udall started? Reddy888 had the exact same request - marriage cert and g325a for his wife - which he also already sent. I am so sorry this is happening!! It's really not right!

neerluck

Maybe it is a new person who does not know what he/she is doing or maybe it is a person who gets into a bad mood once in a while and takes out his/her frustrations by losing paperwork and making others miserable. Hell, it could be a redneck who does not like immigrants...

Derrick Williams

neerluck <member21149@british_expats.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    >
    > 2- They did not recognize my marriage certificate, even though
    > it was an official certified copy with the signature of the local judge
    > and it was made in the local court.
    > I am loss of what more official
    > marriage certificate I can get.

I had a similar problem as you did for my I-130. I got an RFE for my
wife's divorce decree as not being official enough for them. It was a
real-o, trul-o divorce decree issued by my wife's government and
signed by the local authorities and a bona-fide document. We took it
to the Ministry of Foriegn affairs (my wife lives in Belarus), got an
apostille in accordance to the Hauge Convention, sent it in response
to the RFE, and that was enough to satisfy the VSC and they granted me
a I-130.

You should find out which government office in the country which
issued the certificate will put an apostille on that document, and
that may be what the USCIS folks are looking for.

Oddly enough, my marriage certificate only had the local stamps and
signatures and no apostille, but they didn't give me an RFE for that.
I don't know what to tell you but it seems kind of inconsistent that
they don't always ask for an apostille, but maybe there are rules I am
ignorant about.

Try getting the apostille on that official document and send it back,
is the best I can think to tell you.

-Derrick

amol_k3

slicknurnse, you're not going to like hearing this, but as reddy888 posted, they're now saying 90 to 150 days AFTER they've received the additional evidence.

Amol

kud

I don't remember them waiting 90 to 150 days to cash my check

amol_k3

Maybe that's how we speed the system up - they're not allowed to cash the check till AFTER the application is approved or denied!