Canadian Friends who are AOS'ing

[chimcham 18]

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am patiently waiting for my interview date to arrive (one more week!) I just figured I would reach out, and I know this was a worry of mine after submitting my package, that I did not submit my full length birth certificate. Everything came as normal, no RFEs, however I just received in the mail yesterday a regular letter from my field office asking for me to bring my full length birth certificate. Thank goodness I requested it after submitting my package, thanks to my Canadian friends and their advice here!

Canadians apparently receive TWO birth certificates-a long form and a short form one- and this is something me and my parents JUST learned this year, and you have to request it! It costs about 30 dollars and it comes within a week. If you are Canadian and are planning on Adjusting Status and do not have this form, be warned you will need it.

I never received an RFE, and this is not a "traditional" RFE...however I just wanted to let everyone know that not being completely careful and double checking everything will come back to haunt you! Thank goodness its already in my interview packet ready to go

I just wanted to make everyone aware that even after you receive your interview notice...keep an eye on the mail...just in case.

Have a great Sunday everyone and good LUCK!

Edited June 17, 2012 by chimcham

[Texas22 50]

I ordered my long form birth certificate for myself and my children so I would have them for the K1 interview. Yes, good advice, and it is a quick turnaround too!

[DandT14 272]

Can you tell me what the difference is between the long and short form?

We ordered the long form for my husband, but I was surprised by how little info there is on it. I'm worried we didn't get the correct one.

[wifi 6]

Can you tell me what the difference is between the long and short form?

We ordered the long form for my husband, but I was surprised by how little info there is on it. I'm worried we didn't get the correct one.

Long form includes parents names -- that's the only difference.

[Inky 1,110]

Can you tell me what the difference is between the long and short form?

We ordered the long form for my husband, but I was surprised by how little info there is on it. I'm worried we didn't get the correct one.

Long form includes parents names + information , doctors names, nurses names, birth place information, birth information.

[chimcham 18]

Short Form

This includes basic information such as:

Name (last name and given name(s))

Date of birth

Certificate number

Birthplace

Sex

Date of registration

Registration number

Date issued

Long Form (Certified)

This contains all registered information, including:

Name (last name and given name(s))

Date of birth

Birthplace (city, town, village, municipality)

Sex

Location of birth (hospital, birthing centre, etc.)

Parents' names

Parents' dates of birth

Mother's mailing address at the time of birth

Duration of the pregnancy

Number of children born to this mother

Parents' birthplaces

Weight of the child at birth

Type of birth (single, multiple, etc.)

Attendant at the birth

Date of registration

Registration number

Date issued

[wifi 6]

It should also be noted that a short form birth certificate is still valid and accepted by the USCIS. Per Title 8, CFR 103.2(b) "Evidence & Processing" (http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-11249/0-0-0-11618/0-0-0-11634.html) specific to "Submitting secondary evidence and affidavits" which is specifically referenced in the I-485; there is no explicit requirement for a long form birth certificate. Although preferred, the short form birth certificate is generally accepted. If you have time and money to request the long form, I'd recommend it. However, it is highly unlikely, if you were born in Canada (not naturalized), that you'll receive an RFE for a short form birth certificate. This is largely due to the fact that the US and Canadian populous databases are highly intertwined and confirming data provided in the I485 form is extremely easy for the USCIS.

Short Form

This includes basic information such as:

Name (last name and given name(s))

Date of birth

Certificate number

Birthplace

Sex

Date of registration

Registration number

Date issued

Long Form (Certified)

This contains all registered information, including:

Name (last name and given name(s))

Date of birth

Birthplace (city, town, village, municipality)

Sex

Location of birth (hospital, birthing centre, etc.)

Parents' names

Parents' dates of birth

Mother's mailing address at the time of birth

Duration of the pregnancy

Number of children born to this mother

Parents' birthplaces

Weight of the child at birth

Type of birth (single, multiple, etc.)

Attendant at the birth

Date of registration

Registration number

Date issued

That's specific to Ontario. Quebec, as an example, only adds the parents names to the long form document. Virtually no difference between the short and long form documents.

[DandT14 272]

hmmm, now I'm more confused.

We ordered the long form.

It shows parents names, place and date of birth. (And of course my husbands name.)

Nothing about the hospital, birth weight, etc. I was surprised by how little info it had on it compared to mine.

So what do we have? Long or short? Is it different by province?

[chimcham 18]

I guess it does differ by province. What province did you order from?

[Texas22 50]

I think it is different by province. What province are you in?

Ours say "Statement of Live Birth" at the top of the form. We are in Ontario.

Edited June 17, 2012 by Texas22

[DandT14 272]

My husband is from Newfoundland.

It came on very pretty, fancy paper. It says "Newfoundland and Labrador" really big and in tiny letters it say "Birth Certificate".

[BlueBonnet 84]

Maybe what might help is the size. In Alberta, the short form is the size of a credit card, the Long form is not quite a full piece of paper.

[wifi 6]

Birth certificates vary by province -- there's no set standard -- although it would be helpful if there was one. The Ontario long form birth certificate is one of the longest in Canada -- if you were born in the last 30 years it details out a tremendous amount of information. Quebec, as I've mentioned previously, both have very little information. The short birth certificate is approx. the size of a credit card (8.7 cm x 5.5 cm). The long form Quebec birth certificate is slightly larger (21.5 cm x 18.5 cm).

The short form Quebec birth certificate includes:

Surname, given names, sex, date and place of birth, registration number and date of issue

The long form Quebec birth certificate includes:

Surname, given names, sex, date and place of birth, registration number and date of issue. Father's and mother's surnames and given names

Ontario for instance has a much different birth certificate and the information they include. The short is 2.5" x 3.75" and the long is 8.5" x 14".

The short form Ontario birth certificate includes:

Name (last name and given name(s))

Date of birth

Certificate number

Birthplace

Sex

Date of registration

Registration number

Date issued

The long form Ontario birth certificate includes:

Name (last name and given name(s))

Date of birth

Birthplace (city, town, village, municipality)

Sex

Location of birth (hospital, birthing centre, etc.)

Parents' names

Parents' dates of birth

Mother's mailing address at the time of birth

Duration of the pregnancy

Number of children born to this mother

Parents' birthplaces

Weight of the child at birth

Type of birth (single, multiple, etc.)

Attendant at the birth

Date of registration

Registration number

Date issued

As you can see between neighboring provinces there's a substancial difference in the amount of data detailed on the short vs. long birth certificates.

[wifi 6]

My husband is from Newfoundland.

It came on very pretty, fancy paper. It says "Newfoundland and Labrador" really big and in tiny letters it say "Birth Certificate".

N&L have the same birth certificates as Quebec in terms of information. The long simply adds the parents names. Nothing more, nothing less.

[DandT14 272]

Well, it definitely sounds like we've got a long form. It's bigger than a credit card and includes parents names, just no other information. Figures, Newfoundlanders would probably consider including anything extra as "some foolish."

Thanks for your help!