lexbyl

The church marriage certificate is valid enough to process your cr-1 petition. No need to visit marriage registry nor need another marriage certificate from anywhere. Marriage certificates are only issued in church or at the district registry office.

Yes most couples in Ghana do the traditional marriage ceremony before either church or court to get the certificate. The embassy defines both as being married either traditional or church/court proceedings but the difference is the traditional marriage has no certificate to give as it is mainly the two families and friends. Therefore the embassy/USCIS view the certificate from church/court as the validation to the marriage. Going through the traditional marriage supports your case in many ways as you get to meet friends and take pictures for interview.

Follow the Ghanaian forum for more info and read about stories others have shared.

God bless and good luck

thanks to God and i am very happy for you. Good luck on the resd of decisions and safe journey

I moved here little over 5 years ago and had a horrible start just as almost everyone does. At times you meet some very rude people who will make you feel miserable because you may not have the American accent but then you meet angels who do not really care where you are from but just want to assist you with whatever you need. Missed home numerous times but felt the need to adapt soonest if I am here to stay. I had little notebook to write things I never heard before, did research and memorized them and learned the "American way of pronunciation". Downloaded and still have, is the urban dictionary app and an American dictionary app. Those have been great sources for definitions for these terms and words. I had to not care about what others think but ask for clarification about whatever I do not understand and with time I had no trouble communicating with people. I work at a call center and barely get customers saying they do not understand me. I think you will adapt gradually as the days go by. Self confidence is very important and not to let it get to you that much if another person does not understand you. Hang in there buddy. After all this great nation formed by foreigners and continues to be the melting port of the world. Good luck!

sometimes they will call you asking if you have received the document and will give you an early date but i dont see anything wrong with you emailing them saying you have received the document and wants to know if they can get you to bring it in earlier

thanks for the update and congrats I will say

No there is no same day visa, takes about 2-3 days to be issued

the Nov 12 given is Wednesday which is what they normally do there, but you will probably get the visa by Friday

good luck on the rest of your plans

yeah anytime partner and all the best

did a bit of research and dna testing is not a routine in Ghana unless otherwise requested by petitioner to support the petition

http://ghana.usembassy.gov/dna-testing.html

you seems to have pretty good evidence as in documents but if your dad filed for you, then you're definitely bound to have a DNA test as it has been in all cases I have seen.

All the best

USCIS recommends using I-864EZ if you are the only sponsor which what you are in your case.

I filed for my wife and that is what I used.

FYI. Make sure all numbers as in revenue from taxes are exactly the same from your tax returns.

All the best

I appreciate your response and your information is well noted. Thanks again

Thanks a lot for response.

Yes the I-130 was approved Nov 22, 2013 by USCIS. Documents were sent to NVC, filled out the forms and paid the subsequent fees requested and just waiting for interview to be scheduled. I was thinking I needed to update the residency with NVC since they have the documents now. Thanks

Hello everyone,

Many thanks to VJ and everyone on this website for their helpful hints and updates.

I was an LPR when I petitioned for my wife (priority date 08/29/2013), I applied for citizenship which has gone very well and waiting to take the oath (Thanking the Most High God for everything). I understand I need to send a copy of the certificate and case info to NVC to update my residency. Does anyone know how soon my wife will get an interview date at the Ghana Embassy based on the priority date or anyone with similar experience who would love to share with me?. Thanks again for reading and good luck to everyone on this journey.