Denied I-130 Denied K1 Denied Humanitarian Parole

[Darnell 8,478]

[not register the marriage with the government registry office]

[Harsh_77 716]

Thank you Darnell - I understand, we will try again contacting the Indonesia registry office for guidance, however they do not have a problem with our marriage and there thought is that everything is fine, only USCIS do not support this because i did not attend the registration process. So we believe they cannot help change the USCIS mind,or change my past actions.

When you are back in Indonesia next time, can you and your wife not go to the govt registery office and register your marriage with them. Then they should be able to issue u an certificate proving your marriage and I think that is acceptable by USCIS.

Unfortunately you will have to go thru the complete process even if you get the certificate from registery office.

[Boiler 43,851]

[not register the marriage with the government registry office]

I can understand that might be an issue!

[Darnell 8,478]

Thank you Darnell - I understand, we will try again contacting the Indonesia registry office for guidance, however they do not have a problem with our marriage and there thought is that everything is fine, only USCIS do not support this because i did not attend the registration process. So we believe they cannot help change the USCIS mind,or change my past actions.

suggest the two of you go in person, register the marriage together.

IMO, without a registry-office-isssued marriage certificate, USCIS will not approve the I-130.

[dwrowe 0]

WOW - In my country we have a saying " A penny for your thoughts " i think i got my penny's worth of "what i should have done" . . . LOL. i guess i should have expected that.

But thank you - I do think its worth a shot to talk with the authority in Indonesia again and see if they can help. (will let you know what happens when i get back)

I immigrated to USA from England at 20 years of age, 8 years ago became a US citizen, my job has allowed me to live in Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Indonesia, married in Indonesia to my wife who was on a H1/B visa working for a US company in Asia. . . . so not much different than most of the people marrying in Indonesia and Immigrating to USA - or am I - .. . . all i am saying, might be some people have different circumstances.

So reflecting back on what I would have done different, (this is just my opinion, don't scold me for having an opinion)

(a) conduct the marriage in the country you intend to take residence permission. ( assuming that is possible. )

(b) expect confusion between the two different country agency when explaining your condition.

© remembering Governments are not logical, the systems are made complicated, and if someone tells you otherwise they are full of fluff. ( But rummer has it that Immigration Reform is on the way. . . just don't hold your breath.

So that's my "two cents worth" -

[Darnell 8,478]

residence permission not matter, all that matters is 'free to marry' proof in that country.

once ya got that, can marry in that country. IMO, that elusive bit, registering the marriage, would seem the 'least friction' approach for going forward.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

WOW - In my country we have a saying " A penny for your thoughts " i think i got my penny's worth of "what i should have done" . . . LOL. i guess i should have expected that.

But thank you - I do think its worth a shot to talk with the authority in Indonesia again and see if they can help. (will let you know what happens when i get back)

I immigrated to USA from England at 20 years of age, 8 years ago became a US citizen, my job has allowed me to live in Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Indonesia, married in Indonesia to my wife who was on a H1/B visa working for a US company in Asia. . . . so not much different than most of the people marrying in Indonesia and Immigrating to USA - or am I - .. . . all i am saying, might be some people have different circumstances.

So reflecting back on what I would have done different, (this is just my opinion, don't scold me for having an opinion)

(a) conduct the marriage in the country you intend to take residence permission. ( assuming that is possible. )

(b) expect confusion between the two different country agency when explaining your condition.

© remembering Governments are not logical, the systems are made complicated, and if someone tells you otherwise they are full of fluff. ( But rummer has it that Immigration Reform is on the way. . . just don't hold your breath.

So that's my "two cents worth" -

That penny's worth of advice applies not only to what you should have done, but also to what you still should do. Forget everything that's gone wrong up until now. Go back to square one, get it right, and start the process from the beginning. Yes, the process is complicated, but it's not so complicated that you need an attorney. Anyone with average intelligence and a willingness to learn can handle a routine case on their own, and your case seems pretty routine.

Now, if you'll permit, I'll add a few comments to your bullet list...

(a) conduct the marriage in the country you intend to take residence permission.

Not always possible. Getting married in the US is a snap in most states. Getting into the US in order to marry here is considerably more difficult. You've spent some time in East and Southeast Asia, so you probably know that getting a visitor's visa in some of those countries borders on the impossible.

The percentage odds of my wife or any of her family getting a visa to visit the US could be counted on the hands of Three Finger Jack. On the other hand, getting married in her country is a bureaucratic nightmare which includes an interview by the VN government wherein she has to prove she's proficient in MY language by translating questions and responses in front of two professional translators. Even with her current level of "Vinglish" proficiency, which I understand completely, she couldn't pass that test today. For us, the only practical option was a K1, which also came with the added bonus that her older teenage kids would be eligible for K2 visas, while they wouldn't have been eligible for CR2's. How did I learn this stuff? Basic research.

(b) expect confusion between the two different country agency when explaining your condition.

I'll take this a step further. NEVER ask a low-level government bureaucrat for help with a complicated bureaucratic process. The first line of "defense" that any agency of any government puts up between them and the citizens they serve are low-paid uneducated dolts who would only intentionally help you if they did it accidentally. If they actually knew anything about laws and policies then they'd have a better job deeper in the bureaucratic machine, and farther from the customers. Do your own research. Most lawyers are no smarter than you, and you are equally capable of understanding laws and policies. In the 21st century you also have a wealth of educated people on the internet you can turn to for help. Proceed only when you're sure that YOU understand what to do.

(c ) remembering Governments are not logical, the systems are made complicated, and if someone tells you otherwise they are full of fluff. ( But rummer has it that Immigration Reform is on the way. . . just don't hold your breath.

For every seemingly pointless bureaucratic hurdle they throw in your way, there is a valid and sensible reason if you dig deep enough. Let's look at the marriage certificate thing as an example...

Immigration fraud has always been a big problem in the US, and probably always will be. This is understandable, given that the US is the biggest immigration magnet in the world, beating the #2 country by a factor of six. Bear in mind that this is based on a perception of the US that doesn't really jive with reality, and there are other countries where the standard of living is actually much better (Switzerland, for example). Nevertheless, more people have a desire to immigrate to the US than anywhere else.

Many people's eligibility to immigrate is based on family relationships with US citizens and LPR's. The proof of their eligibility often hinges on foreign documents like birth and marriage certificates. Before there was a standardized method for verifying these documents, US immigration authorities were frequently defrauded by aliens presenting forged or otherwise fraudulent documents. Congress decided that the responsibility for establishing uniform standards would fall on the Department of State, since they are the only government agency with an official presence in each of these foreign countries through the US embassies and consulates. The end result was a collection of standards called the "Fee and Reciprocity Tables", which details for each country whether a particular type of document is available, who it's available from, and what exactly a document should have in order for it to be considered valid. For all US government agencies that have to deal with foreign documents, the reciprocity tables are the "bible" they rely on.

An inference you may freely draw from the above is that the average US immigration officer wouldn't have a clue if a document were valid without the reciprocity tables, as well as visual examples of valid documents. You could have a perfectly valid document which would be accepted by a foreign government without question, but if it doesn't exactly conform to the reciprocity tables then the US government won't accept it. Armed in advance with this knowledge, you know what you need to get in order to satisfy them.

As far as immigration reform, as you say, don't hold your breath. I don't think it will be coming soon. If it does, it won't make immigration easier. In any country with a weak economy, the public mood will always be anti-immigration. Most Americans don't want to see immigration made easier, and they want much stronger enforcement of illegal immigration laws.

[dwrowe 0]

JimVaPhuong:

Thank you for your valid opinion and good advice. The next few days i will spend researching further into what you mentioned and create a plan for my next action.

Will post again in the next few days.

Thank you so much -

Dave

[Loricap2 0]

What form of Marriage Certificate did you get when you married in Indonesia? I am curious as I also married there and am praying I am not following in your same footsteps. My marriage was muslim, so I have a marriage book signed and sealed and stamped by the department of religion.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

What form of Marriage Certificate did you get when you married in Indonesia? I am curious as I also married there and am praying I am not following in your same footsteps. My marriage was muslim, so I have a marriage book signed and sealed and stamped by the department of religion.

I mentioned the reciprocity tables several times in my responses. The best thing for you to do is to look at the reciprocity tables for Indonesia, read the descriptions for marriage certificates, and see if yours conforms to that description:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_5455.html?cid=9216