Help! I-130 form returned incomplete!

[SCOTTANDVICKI 11]

So USCIS just sent our petition back saying it was incomplete. They say we must submit a marriage certificate (we sent a photocopy of our marriage certificate) saying "the certificate must indicate that after the marriage ceremony, it was registered or recorded by the county, state or province where the marriage took place."

We only have the certificate - does this mean we need a copy of whatever log this was entered into at the County Hall?

Also - will this push us right back to the start so we have to begin again from scratch, timeline wise?

[Sukie 1,439]

Sorry for this. Look closely at your certificate and see if you can find a typed date or serial number somewhere. Sometimes the clerks don't know where to look for this. If I look at my New York certificate, it's along the side. Maybe the copier cut it off?

If you see something like this, resubmit a copy of your certificate with the data highlighted or circled to show them where it is.

If you DON'T see something like this, then call the Town/County Hall and ask them how to prove that it has been registered. You might have to order an "official" copy from the County Hall.

You'll get through this - but it will take some additional time. If it's THEIR mistake (i.e. - the date/registration data WAS on your certificate), then write a cover letter and show your rejection letter and ask to be expedited.

If USCIS was correct, and your certificate does not have proof, then I fear you'll be starting over.

Good luck!

Sukie in NY

[SCOTTANDVICKI 11]

Thanks Sukie. I don't see a serial number, but because the marriage certificate is on weird paper that's larger than A4 perhaps a bit of it was cut off? I'll send an A3 copy of the certificate and hope that it's that. It'll take ages if we have to get something from Texas because we're both in the UK. This could be a nightmare because I've taken voluntary redundancy from work and my last work day is May 12!

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

So USCIS just sent our petition back saying it was incomplete. They say we must submit a marriage certificate (we sent a photocopy of our marriage certificate) saying "the certificate must indicate that after the marriage ceremony, it was registered or recorded by the county, state or province where the marriage took place."

We only have the certificate - does this mean we need a copy of whatever log this was entered into at the County Hall?

Also - will this push us right back to the start so we have to begin again from scratch, timeline wise?

Usually there is some kind of stamp or embossing with the county seal and certification from the county clerk's office saying it is a true copy of the records of XXXX County and that certification is signed and dated by whomever prepared the certified copy. What county in Texas?

[G Walters 136]

The certified copy is something that you need to order. You will need multiple copies.for future paperwork. Before you resubmit make sure ti is stampeded with a date and that is was recorded. If you can not find this stamp do not resubmit till you get this certified and registered copy. We ordered ours when we submitted the paperwork back to the County clerks office.

[NikLR 13,220]

Also just to note, because the USA uses 8.5x11 or 8.5x14" (yes inch) paper otherwise known as letter and legal, I suggest any photocopies you send be of that size. You can use a photocopier to reduce the size of the document if necessary.

[SCOTTANDVICKI 11]

I see. Well we have just sent photocopies because we didn't realise they needed to be certified copies. That would explain it. So we need to find a way of getting certified copies from the county hall in Texas.

Nich-Nick it's Grayson County.

[NikLR 13,220]

You don't need to send certified copies with the I-130. However it does sound like something was cut off or isn't correct about your marriage certificate. Is there any deviation from the photocopy to the original?

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

I see. Well we have just sent photocopies because we didn't realise they needed to be certified copies. That would explain it. So we need to find a way of getting certified copies from the county hall in Texas.

Nich-Nick it's Grayson County.

Normally whatever you have would have the seal of the county and that certification notation on it. It indicates it has been registered in Grayson County. Did you take your license back to the County Clerks office after the officiant signed the license in order to register the marriage?

The thing you have needs to indicate it has been registered in Grayson County and have "certification" it is from the county records. If so, then that is a certified copy of the original which is on file in Grayson county because you took it in after the wedding. So if you have that, you may photocopy what you have. All our immigration things were photocopies of the "certified copy".

So what kind of seal, embossing, certification does yours show? If nothing then that is the problem.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Assuming you do have the correct paperwork... If it's bigger than A4, do a shrink-to-fit scan and print, so it'll fit - then send that AND a copy of the full size one on A3, folded to the A4. That way it'll cover both bases.

When we sent our marriage certificate to London (I see you're doing DCF) the first cert they give you in the UK is this weird long format, so we printed it A3 then folded it up into the package to match the rest of the pieces of paper in the package, so it wasn't dangling out the end.

Edited March 14, 2015 by lost_at_sea

[SCOTTANDVICKI 11]

Thanks everyone. I think it's because I rushed and just copied it on regular A4 so the bottom was cut off a little bit. On inspecting the letter again it does say 'photocopy' not 'certified copy' so we've done an A3 copy so that the whole thing is there, front and back.

There is a seal on there, there is also the date we got the license (on the back), the date the Minister married us (on the front) and then a signature and date of 2 days later when we took it back to the County Clerk (the bottom line of which I think may have been cut off by the original A4 copy.

Anyone have any idea of the kind of time impact this may have on a DCF I-130?

[Ryan H 3,790]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to DCF Discussion.

[Ms Hogan 295]

I think the only impact is adding some time on. Unfortunately this is your mistake and not theirs. Send in the updated copy that doesn't have anything cut off and go from there!

[CowBoE 429]

Unless your printer can handle the auto-resizing,

if you go to print places like Kinko's

they will copy any size onto another size...

so that it'll shrink or zoom to copy all 100% of the content.

That said, I got 3 certified copies made for something link ~$10 each

and sent one in. The cost was nominal for ease of mind.

[mallafri76 1,012]

I got married in Texas. The serial number on our marriage license is on the top right hand corner on the front side, along with the other information you have already mentioned that your copy had. Is the serial number visible on your copy as well?