RFE-Confused about marriage certificate

[Sean_and_Dora 0]

We recieved an RFE today from USCIS.

We got married in the Cook County, IL marriage court. I sent a copy of the marriage certificate that was given to us by the judge. I am confused if I should have sent something more than a copy or if Cook County didn't register the marriage.

Here is what the RFE says

This office is unable to complete the processing of your Application to Register Permanent Residenceor Adjust Status(Form 1-485) without additional information. Although we recieved your application, important information is missing. Specifically, the marriage certificate submitted with your application was not registered with the county, state or civil authorities. Please read this entire notice and submit the information requested below.

K1/Marriage Certificate: You appear to be filling as a K1 nonimmigrant. Please submit a copy of your marriage certificate indicating that you have married your United States citizen fiance within 90 days of your admission into the United States as a K1 nonimmigrant. If the marriage occured in the United States, the document must show that the marriage was registered or recorded with the county, state or civil authorities. If the marriage occured outside the United States, the marriage certificate must be accompanied by a certified English translation if the document is in a language other than English

[Inky 1,111]

The way I read it is that they got your marriage certificate but when they looked it up that your marriage is/was not registered. I would go down to the registration office and ask them about it to check if it is or not. If it is then move ahead from there, maybe request another certified document from them and send that in ( not a photocopy of it but the actual sheet they give you at the office. )

Unless maybe you mixed up the license and the certificate? When the judge signed our papers we took it down to the registration office handed it over, then in about 20 mins they gave us a certified copy of our marriage certificate because the judge signs the license then they need to imput the data from that to the records then you get a certificate back from them of marriage.

[faithfully 1]

We recieved an RFE today from USCIS.

We got married in the Cook County, IL marriage court. I sent a copy of the marriage certificate that was given to us by the judge. I am confused if I should have sent something more than a copy or if Cook County didn't register the marriage.

Here is what the RFE says

From our experience, the marriage certificate given by the judge is not the certified copy. We had to go to the county office to ask for the certified copy of the marriage certificate. And when you ask for the certified copy from your county office, make sure to ask for extra copies just in case you have to send originals. When I sent my AOS package, I sent the original marriage certificate.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Marriages are under state control, so it differs slightly from state to state. But most work like this--

You get a license probably from the county clerk's office.

You marry.

The officiant who is authorized to perform marriages in your state (pastor, priest, rabbi, judge, justice of the peace) signs the license and most likely dates it and gives his title to show he did indeed perform the marriage ceremony.

The officiant mails, or the couple takes it in person, back to the county office where they got the license. It is officially recorded in the county marriage records. You get a copy that is "certified", meaning it has a stamp, seal, or embossment and probably a statement saying it is from the county records of ____ in the state of ____. And the county employee will sign and date that endorsement. She is "certifying" that it is a true record of marriage from their files. Only then do you have a marriage "certificate." Your former license also may have some kind of county record notation of when it was recorded.

It sounds as if you got married, and the judge signed your license, but you didn't take it back to be registered with the county. Just getting a license isn't enough. You have to have it signed by an officiant and recorded in the county/state records to be set legally. Take your original copy back to where you got it and have it recorded. And ask if they can make you a certified copy at the same time. Some wlll and some say they have to mail it out because they don't do same day service. Then photocopy it and send in with your RFE.

[baron555 934]

We recieved an RFE today from USCIS.

We got married in the Cook County, IL marriage court. I sent a copy of the marriage certificate that was given to us by the judge. I am confused if I should have sent something more than a copy or if Cook County didn't register the marriage.

Here is what the RFE says

Send one of the stamped certified documents that your order from the county following the judge's ceremony. The judge's document, which you sent, is not the official certified certificate. You send in an original document; you can order more than one from the county for other uses.

[mari&Ryan 93]

We recieved an RFE today from USCIS.

We got married in the Cook County, IL marriage court. I sent a copy of the marriage certificate that was given to us by the judge. I am confused if I should have sent something more than a copy or if Cook County didn't register the marriage.

Here is what the RFE says

Hi,

We got married in Cook county too. The judge more likely gave you a kind of small paper that says certificate of marriage but actually it isn't.

This is the link that shows you how to request a certificate of marriage in the Cook county, IL. http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/vitalrecords/marriagecertificates/Pages/default.aspx

That is the one that USCIS is requesting from you to send them.

We went to one of the locations here in downtown and they gave it to us in 10 minutes. We asked for three certificates and it was a little more of $20.

Good luck.