VERY upset and confused

[Lola_ 0]

We just got a RFE letter asking to send a marriage certificate certified by a county authority.

We DID send them a copy of our marriage certificate (but NOT the license). What is it that the want?!?!?!

[joej 0]

Sorry for your troubles, RFE really sucks. For my husband they requested our original marriage certificate. I do not think there was a different liscence. Maybe they just want the original.

[Lola_ 0]

They say "copy of the original marriage certificate". GRRR

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Just send another copy - they may have 'mis-filed' the original you sent..its easiest to just comply and get it over with.

Best of luck

[denali_1963 0]

maybe they misplaced it and they want you to send them another copy

[Lola_ 0]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'm SOOO mad!!!

how long does it usually take from them receiving the RFE to approving the case?

[meddykomp 0]

I wish I could answer the how long on that one ... but as I am still waiting for an NOA2 after an RFE, I do not yet have an answer, however we sent ours back a month ago today.

[louandmikek3 0]

I would email them asking what it is they want.

Try not to stress but I once read a post by someone who received an RFE for their perfectly normal British marraige certificate photocopy - what they wanted was a copy (a duplicate copy, not a photocopy) with some kind of seal on it - this couple had to send off for this and pay a fee, thus stalling their process a little.

I am not saying this is what they are referring to by any means, but just that you should try to clarify what they need you to do.

Hopefully they will just want another photocopy - perhaps the one you sent was not so clear or has a small strip down the side missing on the photocopy or something??

Good luck.

[saturn5man 0]

Hello Lola. It *could* be the same request that my wife and I had, by RFE.

Here's my report on this, previously posted in VJ :

Legalisation of Marriage Certificate

So far as our Marriage Certificate is concerned, we got married in a Methodist Church in England and received a 'normal' Certificate issued by the Church Minister on our Wedding Day and signed by me, my wife, the Minister and a couple of witnesses.

The Certificate was in the traditional UK form and was identical to dozens I have seen over the years. However, we got an RFE (Request for Further Evidence) when the I 129 F paperwork was being processed in Missouri. They were not happy with the Certificate in its original form and wanted it further certified, by the UK Government.

After making enquiries, I discovered that there is a Department of the UK Foreign and Commonweath Office that 'legalises' official documents such as Marriage Certificates, Divorce Papers, Birth Certificates and the like.

I had to travel to London to get this extra certification done, wait in a very long line at the Legalisation Office and pay a fee. They then affixed a Certificate (Called an Apostille Seal) to the back of the Marriage Certificate, signifying that it was a genuine document. This was also further authenticated by the addition of an embossed stamp through both papers.

Personally, I feel that we got someone at USCIS on a bad day, or something, as I have not read in VJ of this happening to any other UK person. The whole thing wasted an additional month and incurred further and unexpected costs !

If any UK person wants to make doubly sure that any official document is suitably 'certified' by the UK Government, you can find details of the Legalisation Service via this link :

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagena...d=1007029391440

I have now taken the opportunity to have various other Certificates 'certified' there, just in case someone calls for this again !! (In fact I did that after my Embassy Interview, whilst I was still in London !).

I hope that all the above might help. PM me if you have any additional queries.

Good luck and very best wishes....especially to all Brits going through this trying process !

Neil.

[Chicky 0]

They want a certified copy of it, not a photocopy, but a ceritified copy with the stamp and a signature (almost like notarization but the clerk at the courthouse does it not a public notary) from the courthouse that issued it. It's impossible to get the original as that has to stay on file at the courthouse. Hope that helps.

[meauxna 15]

We just got a RFE letter asking to send a marriage certificate certified by a county authority.

We DID send them a copy of our marriage certificate (but NOT the license). What is it that the want?!?!?!

They want a copy that clearly shows it's been registered by your local gov't (county, whatever). Either they lost the one like that that youv'e already sent them, or you didn't send a phhotocopy of a 'recorded' copy (the one you get at your ceremony is usually NOT the right one).

Apostille has nothing to do with it, expecially considering that you married in the US.

[lucyrich 20]

We just got a RFE letter asking to send a marriage certificate certified by a county authority.

We DID send them a copy of our marriage certificate (but NOT the license). What is it that the want?!?!?!

They want a copy that clearly shows it's been registered by your local gov't (county, whatever). Either they lost the one like that that youv'e already sent them, or you didn't send a phhotocopy of a 'recorded' copy (the one you get at your ceremony is usually NOT the right one).

Apostille has nothing to do with it, expecially considering that you married in the US.

Right. The license also has nothing to do with it, and I note that the license is mentioned in the original post. The license is permission to get married. The certificate is proof that you have been through the ceremony and are legally married. Often, they may be done on the same paper form, but the certificate has the signature of the officiant and witnesses, and signature and seal of the government official who recorded the marriage in the government record books.

The details may vary from one jurisdiction to another, but what they need is proof that your marriage has been officially recorded and registered by the local government officials. Usually, this means sending the USCIS a photocopy of a certified copy of your marriage certificate. If you were married in the US, this probably is issued by the county clerk or county recorder.

[Lola_ 0]

What we sent them now was the marriage certificate and the license (on the license, there is a stamp of the date it was received at the county clerk's and another stamp which is not very clearly visible, so I added little sticky notes indicating the stamps). After we got married, the certificate and the license were sent to the clerk's office and they recorded its receipt. I hope this suffices!!!

[meauxna 15]

What we sent them now was the marriage certificate and the license (on the license, there is a stamp of the date it was received at the county clerk's and another stamp which is not very clearly visible, so I added little sticky notes indicating the stamps). After we got married, the certificate and the license were sent to the clerk's office and they recorded its receipt. I hope this suffices!!!

It's still not clear to me what you originally sent.. but I guess you have it worked out now?

You need the copy of the certificate *after* it has been recorded by the county, not proof that they recieved in something that you sent them. Did you ever ask for a certified copy of your marriage certificate, from the county?

[aussiewench 9]

Not clear to me either but if you have only sent in the documents that you sent to the county clerks office, that is not what they are requesting. They are requesting a copy of the certified copy of the marriage certificate after it was receipted.