Where are my important documents?

[jojo_gee 8]

Hey all. Help me out here if possible. I filed for citizenship in Oct 2017. I received my Notice of Action letter but I am still awaiting any other feedback. I went to apply for UK passports but can't find all my children's birth certificates and our marriage certificate. Do USCIS still have them or would they have sent them back to me and I just need to look harder in my house? 

 

JoJo

[KVE 29]

I don't think you actually send the originals to USCIS. If you did then you may not get them back.

[Dashinka 23,245]

USCIS will not send anything back to you relative to documents you submitted.  This is why one should only send in copies of important documents and make complete copies of anything they send to USCIS.

 

Good Luck!

[shumway1756 304]

I hope you didn’t submit originals to USCIS unless they requested. If you sent them without being asked, you may not get them back.

 

If USCIS actually asked you to send them then they will return them to you.

[Going through 5,668]

If you sent them the originals, instead of copies, you won't be getting them back....they normally only request originals of police/court documents, and request copies of things like marriage and birth certificates as per their application instructions for the N400:

 

"Send copies of the following documents, unless we ask for originals"

 

For your UK passport application, you'll have to order certified copies of those documents now.

[jojo_gee 8]

Oh . Pretty sure I sent them the originals. Is there any chance of calling a real person to find this out before I go to city hall?

[Going through 5,668]

15 minutes ago, jojo_gee said:

Oh . Pretty sure I sent them the originals. Is there any chance of calling a real person to find this out before I go to city hall?

Even if you verified it, they're not going send them back to you, and you'll have to submit originals/certified copies anyhow for the passport application...better to just get certified copies from city hall.  If in the event you come across the originals later on (you didn't send them to USCIS), then that's a good thing.  If not, you will have not wasted any further time in getting the documents you need for your foreign passports.

 

In any case, even an L2 officer is not going to be able to tell you if they received an original or a copy of a document when you first filed---only that they don't have any outstanding RFEs for documents.  It's not like he/she can physically comb through your immigration file right then and there while you're waiting on the phone.

Edited July 23, 2018 by Going through

[jojo_gee 8]

Update.

I called USCIS and the girl on the phone told me they would be able to find out for me and would send them back if I did indeed send the originals. Waiting on a call back.

[NewOrleansJerry 12]

JoJo,

 

I've not had the experience of USCIS returning documents.  I expect that you will need to go back to the issuing agencies and get new certified copies.

 

Jerry

[Teemo 252]

1 hour ago, jojo_gee said:

Oh . Pretty sure I sent them the originals. Is there any chance of calling a real person to find this out before I go to city hall?

Wow that's a major mistake. 

 

Well, you can file the G-884, Request for the Return of Original Documents: https://www.uscis.gov/g-884

[jojo_gee 8]

So much for all the doom and gloom. I spoke with another person who told me it was no problem. They would be in touch to let me know if I did send the originals and they would also send them back. 

 

[Teemo 252]

10 minutes ago, jojo_gee said:

So much for all the doom and gloom. I spoke with another person who told me it was no problem. They would be in touch to let me know if I did send the originals and they would also send them back. 

 

That's a very optimistic view of the bureaucratic processes at USCIS! Personally, I wouldn't trust they would automatically send them back. Someone else a couple days ago called and asked if he could leave the county before his AP was granted and they said "yeah sure as long as you have done your biometrics." He has now abandoned his AOS and can't re-enter the country, based on the "advice" from USCIS. So, you still that confident in them? lol. 

 

The G-884 Request for the Return of Original Documents exists for a reason. If you indeed submitted originals of important documents, this is your best bet. https://www.uscis.gov/g-884

[jojo_gee 8]

I've been doing this since 2008 and haven't had any problems to date other than been held up for too long at airports. I will take the 2 people I spoke with at their word and if I haven't heard back in a decent time, I shall follow up. 

[Going through 5,668]

2 hours ago, jojo_gee said:

I will take the 2 people I spoke with at their word and if I haven't heard back in a decent time, I shall follow up. 

Curious----were these L2 immigration agents or L1 customer service personnel that said they'd be in touch/send the documents back?

 

They are called the "misinformation line" around here for a reason....doesn't hurt to be optimistic, I suppose.

Hope it doesn't delay you getting the passport situation taken care of too much, if you're planning on waiting to hear back (or not hear back) from them.

[geowrian 22,335]

Let us know how it goes.