Marriage Certificate Advice

[smrowe 12]

We've been married just shy of 6 months and we still don't have our marriage certificate! We submitted our I-130 paperwork a month after our wedding with a copy of our marriage solemnization certificate and a note stating that because Service Ontario takes so long to register and mail marriage certificates that we would send that to join with our application as soon as we received it. Well, we finally received our marriage certificate in October, but they entered my mother's maiden name incorrectly (completely their fault, we typed in everything correctly and they just transcribed it wrong), so we've had to file paperwork to do a correction and have a new certificate issued. We submitted that paperwork at the end of October and they still have not charged my bank account the fee for the correction or the issuance of the new certificate, so I have no idea how long this whole process is going to take. I'm going to call them mid-week, but they don't seem to like to answer questions over the phone, and my husband is now with me in the States until May, so we're not in a position to go to one of their offices. It's looking more and more like we may get lucky if we even have our marriage certificate in time for the NVC stage!

I think there are a few possible scenarios, and I'm looking for your advice on how to handle them. In general, how can we speed up Service Ontario?

1) What are our options if we get an RFE for the marriage certificate but do not yet have one?

2) If we are lucky enough to get a marriage certificate, but don't receive a request for it from USCIS (our application has not been touched since NOA1, so I don't know what our chances are of being approved without it), should we send a copy on and try to join it to our file, or just hold on to it and send it with our paperwork at the NVC stage?

What are other's experiences with the marriage certificate part of the evidence?

Thanks much for everything!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Contact your member of Provincial Parliament's office. They are there to help you specifically with problems of this nature. Your MPP (or his staff) will be able to get you a status update on your correction, and may possibly be able to get the re-processing expedited. I find it a bit worrisome that they haven't cashed the cheque yet, so that is one thing they can follow up on for you.

I used to work for a Federal MP and we assisted constituents in matters related to the federal government and its various departments all the time - it was what we were there to do. The same is true with your MPP's office and staff for Provincial level responsibilities. They have resources you don't have access to and can definitely help.There should be a Constituency office in your Riding so you can go there in person. That is probably the easiest. Bring all of your paperwork with you.

Edited December 31, 2012 by Kathryn41

[smrowe 12]

Contact your member of Provincial Parliament's office. They are there to help you specifically with problems of this nature. Your MPP (or his staff) will be able to get you a status update on your correction, and may possibly be able to get the re-processing expedited. I find it a bit worrisome that they haven't cashed the cheque yet, so that is one thing they can follow up on for you.

I used to work for a Federal MP and we assisted constituents in matters related to the federal government and its various departments all the time - it was what we were there to do. The same is true with your MPP's office and staff for Provincial level responsibilities. They have resources you don't have access to and can definitely help.There should be a Constituency office in your Riding so you can go there in person. That is probably the easiest. Bring all of your paperwork with you.

Do you think that we'll be able to get that help over the phone or through email? Neither of us will be physically present in Canada until May, and since we'll hopefully have NOA2 in the next month or so we really need this resolved before then.

[Ms Hogan 295]

I can't answer all of your questions but I do remember when I first got married in 2002 it took 3 months to receive my marriage certificate. Mine was also WRONG as they put my husband's (ex now) birth province as Alberta instead of Ontario. My guess was that they had a drop-down menu in their system to choose the provinces from and hadn't changed that one to Ontario. I had called them and was instructed to send a fax at that point noting the error which was THEIRS and not mine. I received a new one a few weeks later.

If it was THEIR mistake why are you having to pay a fee to get a new one? There should be no charge for this so maybe that's why you haven't seen them take any funds out of your account.

If you get an RFE -which I'm assuming you will since the certificate is what they want to see, then I believe you have 30 days?? to submit what they've asked for. I am not 100% sure on that though. Maybe someone else can give us the answer to how long you have to respond. I would guess at the very least that at THAT point you respond with a letter explaining the situation.

I would guess you should have that new certificate in your hands in the next couple of weeks. I would definitely call them though to see if you can find out where things stand.

Good luck!

[smrowe 12]

Talked to someone at Service Ontario today, and things are looking kind of bleak. First of all, they refuse to acknowledge any fault on their end, so not only are they charging us for correcting the error and printing a new long form (it'll be on the order of about 70 CAD, I believe), they are also in no rush to do it, because it's all our fault (even though we typed in all information, so any error is from them incorrectly entering things, and not even them misreading bad handwriting). Apparently they paperwork took a month to get to them (I'm guessing a month before they opened it?), arriving Dec 3, and we were to have included the incorrect certificate along with the evidence we were using to correct things - I read over everything very carefully and I did not see this requirement anywhere, but apparently it was there, though perhaps not worded very clearly. In any case, they've just mailed our paperwork back to us Jan 3, so yesterday. Once we include the incorrect certificate and mail it back and they actually open it (so I'm guessing another month) they say it takes 8 weeks to process a change, and there is no possible way to expedite the process no matter what the circumstances, don't even think about it, we can't be bothered with you, you are beneath our concern (this is the attitude the woman on the phone had with me). I think at this point the only thing I can do is scan and photocopy the incorrect certificate before we mail it back to Service Ontario, and then when USCIS or NVC asks for it, send that along with a note explaining the error and that we are in the middle of the extremely long process of getting the error corrected. Here I thought I ordered things well in advance, and now I'm worried that this marriage certificate issue may tank our whole visa application. I am so freaked out and frustrated with the Service Ontario people and what feels like their complete lack of human compassion! (though, I guess I should get used to this, because we'll probably be facing a lot more of it from the USCIS, NVC, and Consulate people, huh?)

[ca_poppy 1]

Was the woman you spoke to a supervisor? I would try again before giving up. Service Ontario is extremely inefficient and most of the time the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. Usually the right hand doesn't know what it is doing either come to think of it.

Everyone I have dealt with at USCIS and NVC have been super helpful. Shame Service Ontario!

[hikergirl 277]

I vote you follow Katherine’s advice and raise a bit of stink.

There’s also this guy to help as well: http://www.ombudsman.on.ca/Make-A-Complaint.aspx

[Ms Hogan 295]

Well I call BULL$&*# on that! What a mess! I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. I have to say I am CONSTANTLY shocked by how kind and helpful the service centers in the states are compared to ours in Ontario. Canadians used to be teased for being SO polite and SO apologetic. That certainly isn't the way anymore!

[smrowe 12]

Thanks guys! I was surprised by her attitude as well. No, I did not ask to speak to a supervisor. I was sick and also migraining, so her attitude took the fight right out of me. I'll wait until we get the package from them and then see if there's a way we can expedite things, either by faxing the info, or some faster immigration lane, or something!

[Flames9_RN 358]

On monday, when ur feeling better, it may b ein your best interest to call back..and if the first person gives you the same flack, I would be speaking to the supervisor..and if they are useless, contact your MP office!! No reason to pay $70 for their mistake!! $70 buys a lot of tim hortons cofee!!

[smrowe 12]

So the package arrived in the mail, this time with an extra sheet attached that had a box checked saying we need to return any copies of our marriage certificate in our possession. They had sent that same sheet to us originally, but without that box checked (a different box, requesting different information, was checked), so I don't know how we were supposed to know to include it. It's delayed this whole process by at least two months, and we could theoretically have our corrected marriage certificate by now if it weren't for that. I'm going to call tomorrow and ask to speak to a supervisor, explain the situation, and see if there is any way we can expedite the process, but I'm not very hopeful based on my past experience with them. Combined with the fact that Vermont is now trending at over 235 days and I'm getting very tired of this whole process. Just when we get close to a deadline when I could call USCIS to do a service request, they change the estimates so that I have to wait longer (but that's a whole separate rant!).

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Seriously, call your former MPPs office. They should be able to assist you through phone and fax. If you run into any hesitancy with them, remind them you still have family living in their riding . I recently had an issue with Service Canada not providing me with a copy of my recent CPP statement so I contacted the MP's office for my former riding. I haven't lived there for 9 years now, but they helped me out and got me what I needed. Use your Member of Provincial Government as your go between and to do the follow up for you. He/she has resources specifically dedicated to this job and better contacts specially set aside to deal with requests from MPP's offices.