Petition Denied

[bobbyA 20]

I got one like that from my attorney the day my divorce was finally granted. My lawyer warned me when he gave it to me that it was a copy of the final divorce decree, but it wasn't certified by the court clerk so it wasn't valid proof of divorce. He said I should wait a few days to give it time for the document to make it down to the file room, and then I could go to the court clerk's window and get a certified copy.

You need a document with a stamp from the court clerk certifying that it's a true copy of the original document. It sounds like you've got a photocopy of the original document, but it's not certified.

Jim,

I am concerned about my petition now after reading this thread. I sent in copies of my own and my SO's divorce decree. They are photocopies of certified copies, because no where in the VJ guide or I-129F instructions mentioned "certified divorce decree."

The VJ k-1 guide says, "Copy of final Divorce Decree(s) or Certificate(s) for the US Citizen and/or foreign fiance(e) if either has been previously married."

If being "certified" is that critical, perhaps we need to mention that in the guide so that newbies like me won't be misled.

I was under the impression that all documents can be copies of the originals.

I am also very surprised that USCIS will flat out reject or deny a petition instead of issuing an RFE asking for the "certified copy" of the divorce decree.

So, will I be getting a denial or an RFE?

Thank you.

[James and Cynthia 70]

Jim,

I am concerned about my petition now after reading this thread. I sent in copies of my own and my SO's divorce decree. They are photocopies of certified copies, because no where in the VJ guide or I-129F instructions mentioned "certified divorce decree."

The VJ k-1 guide says, "Copy of final Divorce Decree(s) or Certificate(s) for the US Citizen and/or foreign fiance(e) if either has been previously married."

If being "certified" is that critical, perhaps we need to mention that in the guide so that newbies like me won't be misled.

I was under the impression that all documents can be copies of the originals.

I am also very surprised that USCIS will flat out reject or deny a petition instead of issuing an RFE asking for the "certified copy" of the divorce decree.

So, will I be getting a denial or an RFE?

Thank you.

I did not send in a certified copy either. I did get my copy from the clerk's office, but I didn't pay extra for it to be certified because the guides and directions didn't say it needed to be. I planeed to give a certified copy to my fiancee for her interview. After sending in my I-129F, I read posts about the possible need to have the decree certified and I became very worried. I posted a few time about the concern and several people told me that it shouldn't be a problem as long as it had a stamp showing when it was filed. I looked at the copy I send, and it did have this stamp.

So, not I'm wondering if I'm going to get an RFE and have problems too. I certainly hope not. Does anyone know if you can send in a certified copy before getting the NOA2? I filed in Sept and believe we might be about 4 wks away from NOA2. I do not want anything to slow down our process. The waiting is so painful as it is.

-James