Please help regarding the Birth Cert, Marriage Cert, and PCC for IV process

[SJ & J 1]

Hello everyone!

I desperately need someones help regarding the birth certificate, marriage certificate and police report.  I though that sending copies of each along with the translations and certification of the translation was good for the NVC IV process but now I'm thinking that is not true.  It seems like I need to send the original or a certified copy.  So does that mean that I need to have my husband in Haiti pay for a judge to write up another copy of each of them to send to NVC?  I won't send the original bc it does not get returned and I need it for other things.  I would love to hear from people regarding what they sent also if anyone's petition was approved with just copies versus having to have new ones made and sent to me somehow.  Please anyone with information on this please let me know.  Thank you so much!!

 

[EG&XY 144]

11 minutes ago, SJ & J said:

Hello everyone!

I desperately need someones help regarding the birth certificate, marriage certificate and police report.  I though that sending copies of each along with the translations and certification of the translation was good for the NVC IV process but now I'm thinking that is not true.  It seems like I need to send the original or a certified copy.  So does that mean that I need to have my husband in Haiti pay for a judge to write up another copy of each of them to send to NVC?  I won't send the original bc it does not get returned and I need it for other things.  I would love to hear from people regarding what they sent also if anyone's petition was approved with just copies versus having to have new ones made and sent to me somehow.  Please anyone with information on this please let me know.  Thank you so much!!

 

Why do you think that it is not true? The instructions that they provide (https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/Supporting_documents.html) clearly state to provide photocopies of everything and bring the originals to the interview (for some some documents it may also be required to bring another copy to the interview). The only document that would be sent as an original is the i-864 (aos) from the petitioner.

 

Where the discussion of "certified" copies is that the original that you bring to the interview must be either the actual original birth certificate or a certified copy (which is recognized as an actual official copy). You can't provide a photocopy as the only version at the interview in place of an original or certified copy. Certified copies come up because for some documents the original document does not leave the possession of the government agency that maintains it.

 

For example, my original birth certificate resides in a government office somewhere. I can not get that document and take it somewhere, it always remains under the possession of the government office. Instead they can issue a certified copy of the original document. This means that they are certifying that it is an exact copy of the original document. I can then maintain this certified copy in my possession and use it in place of the original document. In this example, I would make a photocopy to send to the NVC and then take the certified copy with me to the interview.

[SJ & J 1]

13 minutes ago, EG&XY said:

Why do you think that it is not true? The instructions that they provide (https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/Supporting_documents.html) clearly state to provide photocopies of everything and bring the originals to the interview (for some some documents it may also be required to bring another copy to the interview). The only document that would be sent as an original is the i-864 (aos) from the petitioner.

 

Where the discussion of "certified" copies is that the original that you bring to the interview must be either the actual original birth certificate or a certified copy (which is recognized as an actual official copy). You can't provide a photocopy as the only version at the interview in place of an original or certified copy. Certified copies come up because for some documents the original document does not leave the possession of the government agency that maintains it.

 

For example, my original birth certificate resides in a government office somewhere. I can not get that document and take it somewhere, it always remains under the possession of the government office. Instead they can issue a certified copy of the original document. This means that they are certifying that it is an exact copy of the original document. I can then maintain this certified copy in my possession and use it in place of the original document. In this example, I would make a photocopy to send to the NVC and then take the certified copy with me to the interview.

Why I thought that maybe it wasn't true? Bc the first list I found on VJ awhile back said photocopies but then now that my petition was approved I searched it again and evidently found a different list which said original/certified copy, so the I freaked out a little :). So then I tried finding more information and found the stupid RYE thread which confused me more. But if photocopies worked at the NVC stage then that's awesome bc I already have those ready to go. But he will need originals/or certified copies for interview in Haiti? Do they get returned to him there?

Thank you for your help!

[EG&XY 144]

6 minutes ago, SJ & J said:

Why I thought that maybe it wasn't true? Bc the first list I found on VJ awhile back said photocopies but then now that my petition was approved I searched it again and evidently found a different list which said original/certified copy, so the I freaked out a little :). So then I tried finding more information and found the stupid RYE thread which confused me more. But if photocopies worked at the NVC stage then that's awesome bc I already have those ready to go. But he will need originals/or certified copies for interview in Haiti? Do they get returned to him there?

Thank you for your help!

Unless you provide some links then I can't really comment on what you have seen.

 

Official guide here for the NVC (http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process) also agrees with what I said above. And everything that I have seen (both USCIS and NVC) says to only send copies (photocopies) of documents unless originals/certified copies are specifically requested (RFE, interview, etc.) or unless it is the actual forms being submitted (i-130, i864, etc.) and even some of those are allowed to be scanned copies in some instances.

[SJ & J 1]

Thank you for your information! I was trying to figure out how to attach the websites from my phone to show you but I'm not very tech. I think I'll  just go with the photocopies unless they request otherwise. Thank you again for your help.