lorenei

My interview for a CR1 visa is on Monday, and I was just reading through the document checklist when I noticed this:

Birth Certificate: Obtain the original, or certified copy, of the birth record of each family member (yourself, your spouse, and all unmarried children under the age of 21, even if they are not immigrating with you. If the children are deceased, so state giving year of death).

Does that mean I need to have a birth certificate of my USC spouse with me on the interview? He took his birth certificate with him to USA when he moved there this July, so I only have photocopies!

ian-mstm

For a family-based visa, it is necessary to provide birth certificates for all persons, including children, who are immigrating now or might immigrate in the future. Your husband is a USC.

Ian

lorenei

So does that mean I don't need his birth certificate there? Because to my horror today I realized that what I thought was his original birth certificate is just a good colour copy, he took the original to USA with him, so I am freaking out

Basically my hubby is a dual national UK/USA, we applied for my CR1 visa through the US Embassy in London while he was still in the UK, then he went to USA a month later. So none of the US immigration officials ever seen his birth certificate (I don't know if they require it when people apply through the USCIS office in USA).

I called their expensive phone line and was told (by a guy who didn't seem like he really knew it very well as he just read out the same line from their website I quoted) that I will need both mine and my USC spouse birth certificates for the interview.

At the moment we're trying to decide whether I have to e-mail the US embassy urgently explaining the situation and asking to reschedual interview for later so that hubby can send me his birth certificate or for him to fly to London today (which will pretty much mean blowing all our current savings) with the documents so that I have them for my monday interview.

Moonshadow_Girl

Do not reschedule your interview, attend it as scheduled. If you do not have all the necessary documents, and everything else is in order, you will receive instructions on sending the necessary documents, along with your passport to receive your visa.

Noorah101

Do NOT cancel your interview. Go to the interview and bring the color photocopy that you have in hand. If the ConOff needs anything other than that, she will let you know and give you time to turn it in. But my guess is that you'll be OK.

Rene

ian-mstm

Yes. It helps to keep in mind that the forms are used for a variety of purposes... not just for a spousal visa. The requirement for a spouse's birth certificate is for those situations where, for example, the entire family is being sponsored for a visa - by a USC sibling, perhaps.

Your husband is a USC, he isn't immigrating, and you have an approved I-130. The US government knows he's a US citizen (because he provided proof when he submitted the I-130 petition), and they know you're married (because he provided a copy of your marriage certificate when he submitted the I-130 petition). Those are the only requirements for the USC.

Ian

lorenei

Thank you so much for the support everyone, I honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack after that call with the £1.23 embassy line earlier today I really hope my interview goes well and that I have everything they need to approve my visa.. but I guess we'll see on monday /nervous

jeffreyhy

Good answer. True, but if her husband provided a photocopy of his birth certificate with his I-130 the consular officer has the right to request to see the original to verify that photocopy. Assuming that he's a US citizen by birth. (I haven't re-read all of the posts to find out if that's a known fact.) Regards, JEff