221g, I-134 problems

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I asked my fiancee about that, and she said that the interviewer noted that the copy I sent of the info and visa pages was not clear. I think that's the fault of the printer she used (at a shop, I thought), since it was a sufficiently large file when I sent it. I'm surprised she didn't consider that before going, since this is a very obvious requirement for any copy. But the passport copy isn't listed in the requirements, so maybe that's why she wasn't careful. This wasn't the only evidence she had that I went, as she had my boarding passes too.

The copy of my two passport pages came out to be a 16 MB pdf, which had only 2 pages in it. That prints out quite OK on my printer at 600 dpi. I think the entry/exit stamps should have been inked a little more (some parts of the stamps did not make a good impression), but that's not my fault. One thing I hate is how the Chinese consulate just stuck the visa in the middle of my passport. It looks SO misplaced. It's not like I intend to fill my passport in the next 10 years, but I would like my records to be in order. I read online that the Chinese are careless like that with passports.

I saw something similar to this one time before, but it was a different consulate. The petitioner had made three trips, and had visas and entry/exit stamps in his passport. By coincidence, the visas and stamps for the first two trips looked practically identical on the photocopied passport, save for the dates and visa numbers. The stamps were even cocked at the same angle on the page. The petitioner was in the country during the interview (his third trip), so they asked him to come into the consulate and present his passport for inspection. Apparently, they decided everything was ok after looking at his passport.

Anyway, it's not clear what they're questioning here. Perhaps they suspect you didn't actually travel to China, and made a doctored up copy of your passport to make it appear that you had. Maybe it's the combination of the poor quality print and your financial status that made them suspicious. Occasionally, we get people asking on this forum if there's any way to get past the two year meeting requirement because they think it's too expensive to make a trip. I imagine some people do try to fake their way through it. In any case, the two year meeting requirement is needed for the petition approval and not the visa approval. A consulate wouldn't normally question something like this unless they thought USCIS clearly erred when it approved the petition.

I don't suppose it's possible for you to make another trip to China and go to the consulate with your fiancee. You could get a certified copy of your passport at US Citizen Services at the consulate, or even present your passport to the CO for examination. That would certainly remove any suspicion about your passport, and the extra trip would probably help your case.

The Vietnam embassy in San Francisco is also somewhat careless about how they put visas in passports. I have five visas in my passport, on random pages and in random order. Fortunately, the entry/exit stamps are reasonably legible.

[Jacob2010 0]

Anyway, it's not clear what they're questioning here. [...] Maybe it's the combination of the poor quality print and your financial status that made them suspicious. [...] A consulate wouldn't normally question something like this unless they thought USCIS clearly erred when it approved the petition.

For the USCIS petition, I supplied copies of the boarding passes and photos we took together. I guess that was sufficient for them.

On my entry/exit stamps, the dates and the outline are legible, but the rest is not very clear. The guy doing the interview probably just thought about the poor passport copy and decided to mark the box. This guy also wrote the wrong name and case number on the blue sheet, which made my fiancee have to go back to the consulate the next day to get it fixed. We had many photos of me in China, but it is possible he thought that could be just some random white guy.

I don't suppose it's possible for you to make another trip to China and go to the consulate with your fiancee. You could get a certified copy of your passport at US Citizen Services at the consulate, or even present your passport to the CO for examination. That would certainly remove any suspicion about your passport, and the extra trip would probably help your case.

That's not practical for me. For one I don't have much money right now and I have to pay for a plane ticket for my fiancee, a wedding, and adjustment of status fees (among other things). And by the time I get enough money for an extra trip to China, I will be in school. I can't leave my studies until December. If there's any way to deal with this with a notary I would like to do that. I may email the consulate after I hear back from the notary I called.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Jacob2010

[Darnell 8,479]

'a notarized copy' is fine, it's actually what they're asking for.

any notary in USA can do this -

if you'd like FREE, get it done at yer bank.

Once you have it made, do not scan it, don't email it - get it IN her hands, think 'original set'.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Darnell

[Jacob2010 0]

'a notarized copy' is fine, it's actually what they're asking for.

any notary in USA can do this -

if you'd like FREE, get it done at yer bank.

Once you have it made, do not scan it, don't email it - get it IN her hands, think 'original set'.

What I'm waiting on now is to find out if I need to print some statement on each page, like "I declare that this is an accurate copy from the original document in my possession ..." with blanks for me and the notary to sign, or if the notaries here can do something more akin to comparing the copies themselves and certifying that (since that is what the blue slip asks for).

I won't scan this to send to my fiancee, that was never my idea. I fought with her and the cosponsor before the interview because they just wanted me to scan everything. In the end my fiancee would have gone along with mailing it but I didn't want to irritate the cosponsor, so I just let it go like that. Sometimes you have to go along with such things, even if they cause trouble.

I'd also hate to go into the bank asking them to notarize 16 pages of stuff, separately ... I think the instructions ask for that, right? I will consider it if the cost is high for an independent notary, but I read somewhere that the cost should be $2-3 each time.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Jacob2010

[Darnell 8,479]

What I'm waiting on now is to find out if I need to print some statement on each page, like "I declare that this is an accurate copy from the original document in my possession ..." with blanks for me and the notary to sign, or if the notaries here can do something more akin to comparing the copies themselves and certifying that (since that is what the blue slip asks for).

I notarized all pages of my passport - the notary stamped and signed each page. Mine was similar to 'I attest this is an accurate copy of the original document, presented to me on 2 Jan 2009' or something similar (sorry, it's been a bit o time, one set is in storage).

I had 2 sets made, took about 30 minutes. This is part of the 'free customer service', at least with my bank here in Texas.

each page had notary stamp and signature.

now, as to the actual attestation statement - you can make yer own attestation statement, if you decide to 'scan all pages' - then do some 'work' on the 'puter prior to printing, yes?

you're being asked for 'complete copy' of the passport, so, IMO, give them what they ask for.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Darnell

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I notarized all pages of my passport - the notary stamped and signed each page. Mine was similar to 'I attest this is an accurate copy of the original document, presented to me on 2 Jan 2009' or something similar (sorry, it's been a bit o time, one set is in storage).

I had 2 sets made, took about 30 minutes. This is part of the 'free customer service', at least with my bank here in Texas.

each page had notary stamp and signature.

now, as to the actual attestation statement - you can make yer own attestation statement, if you decide to 'scan all pages' - then do some 'work' on the 'puter prior to printing, yes?

you're being asked for 'complete copy' of the passport, so, IMO, give them what they ask for.

Texas is one of the states where a notary can certify a copy of a document. The OP provided a link to a Wikipedia article that listed the states where notaries can do this. Apparently, he lives in a state where notaries cannot do this. In California, where I live, notaries can only certify copies of specific types of documents. They won't certify copies of passports or other official government documents.

[Darnell 8,479]

ouch - I smell 'his state - Department of State' office for making apostille'd copies, then .

[Jacob2010 0]

now, as to the actual attestation statement - you can make yer own attestation statement, if you decide to 'scan all pages' - then do some 'work' on the 'puter prior to printing, yes?

you're being asked for 'complete copy' of the passport, so, IMO, give them what they ask for.

This part won't need so much technical work (although I had a lot of trouble getting the thing printed, perhaps since my printer is a network printer on a machine with not so much memory). I scanned the pages and printed them centered on each sheet. The copy is actual size, but perfectly centered (which I hope doesn't look suspicious). I have lots of room in the margins, so I can jam almost any short statement into it by printing on the same paper again with the margins set very small. What exactly that statement will be remains to be seen after the notary gets back to me.

I may also try ordinary photocopies. The same reprinting trick would work for that to insert the affidavit on each page. Photocopies shouldn't show any pixelation at all, whereas my (pretty good) scanned copies show signs of having been from a computer. Perhaps I'm splitting hairs with all this, but I don't want it to be possible to have more problems with the passport. Each issue beyond this point translates into at least several weeks of waiting.

I may email the consulate in the end to ask about this issue, just to be sure.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Jacob2010

[Darnell 8,479]

well, the kool thing is that these 'certified tax transcipts' will take 60 days to get, minimum, so you have some time to fiddle around with the passport copies.

suggest you contact (via phone) the clerk at yer state's 'department of state' office, inquire on fees for an 'apostille' for a passport copy, and where / which office to go to, for 'face-to-face' service. (at least, for today's 'homework' ) Also suggest, strongly, that you get the exact wording the State's Office needs to see/put on each copy page - then you put that wording in there.

Have you tried to tell yer co-sponser to go to a 'region IRS office' to get the 'certified tax transcripts' face-to-face? It's possible, and has 1/2 day turn-over. Mailing in the form, takes at least 60 days on turn-over - whilst going to a region IRS office takes 1/2 day.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Darnell

[Jacob2010 0]

well, the kool thing is that these 'certified tax transcipts' will take 60 days to get, minimum, so you have some time to fiddle around with the passport copies.

suggest you contact (via phone) the clerk at yer state's 'department of state' office, inquire on fees for an 'apostille' for a passport copy, and where / which office to go to, for 'face-to-face' service. (at least, for today's 'homework' ) Also suggest, strongly, that you get the exact wording the State's Office needs to see/put on each copy page - then you put that wording in there.

This problem is beginning to annoy me. I have now talked to 3 notaries, none of which seem to know exactly what to do. One just signed and sealed each page of my copy, which doesn't really make sense because there was nothing written on it. I'm supposed to meet the third one tomorrow. She works for a lawyer so she should be more inclined to research the problem, I think. I also emailed the consulate to see if I can get some answers.

Have you tried to tell yer co-sponser to go to a 'region IRS office' to get the 'certified tax transcripts' face-to-face? It's possible, and has 1/2 day turn-over. Mailing in the form, takes at least 60 days on turn-over - whilst going to a region IRS office takes 1/2 day.

Too late for that, it's in the mail already. It's also a 5 hour drive to go to that office, I think. He's paying the fees for those returns so I don't want to inconvenience him more.

[Jacob2010 0]

OK, so now I have communicated with four notaries seeking a solution to this problem.

Notary #1 knew nothing and hasn't gotten back to me.

Notary #2 checked my copy and signed/sealed each page for $20 (which is quite cheap, I think). But it looks a little unprofessional. He didn't seem to think there would be any issue, but he was very carefree and hurried through everything.

Notary #3 claimed to have called the clerk of court's office to ask about that, but she ultimately did not answer my question about true copies. She referred me to the Dept. of State website, as if that was going to be informative I expected better from her because she is a paralegal.

Notary #4 claimed to have produced a notarized copy of a passport for someone in a similar situation. However, she was unaware of the copy laws. Her fees were higher ($100, a "bargain" since at her regular price it would cost $360 ) but the result looks more professional overall. She even had a "Certified True Copy" stamp, even if that isn't meaning the same thing as it does in other states. The main thing is that she signed, stamped, and sealed each page of the copy and produced a "Copy Certification by Document Custodian" certificate.

I also emailed the consulate, but who knows when they will get back to me. I wonder if they are as unaware as the notaries are, since it is a rather technical issue.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Jacob2010

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

OK, so now I have communicated with four notaries seeking a solution to this problem.

Notary #1 knew nothing and hasn't gotten back to me.

Notary #2 checked my copy and signed/sealed each page for $20 (which is quite cheap, I think). But it looks a little unprofessional. He didn't seem to think there would be any issue, but he was very carefree and hurried through everything.

Notary #3 claimed to have called the clerk of court's office to ask about that, but she ultimately did not answer my question about true copies. She referred me to the Dept. of State website, as if that was going to be informative I expected better from her because she is a paralegal.

Notary #4 claimed to have produced a notarized copy of a passport for someone in a similar situation. However, she was unaware of the copy laws. Her fees were higher ($100, a "bargain" since at her regular price it would cost $360 ) but the result looks more professional overall. She even had a "Certified True Copy" stamp, even if that isn't meaning the same thing as it does in other states. The main thing is that she signed, stamped, and sealed each page of the copy and produced a "Copy Certification by Document Custodian" certificate.

I also emailed the consulate, but who knows when they will get back to me. I wonder if they are as unaware as the notaries are, since it is a rather technical issue.

How the heck could she do this? The notary is not the custodian of records for passports.

[Darnell 8,479]

Any inroads on contacting a filing clerk at YOUR STATE's 'Department of State', inquiring about preparing 'apostille' set of passport copy?

[Jacob2010 0]

How the heck could she do this? The notary is not the custodian of records for passports.

Of course, said certificate was just an affidavit for me to sign, affirming that that was, in fact, an unaltered copy of the correct document. She got it from a notary website, so it should be valid, even if it's not exactly what I was looking for.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Jacob2010

[Jacob2010 0]

Any inroads on contacting a filing clerk at YOUR STATE's 'Department of State', inquiring about preparing 'apostille' set of passport copy?

I thought I would try to find a notary first to see if there had been one who knew what to do. I may try calling a state office later today. I fully expect them to be unhelpful, but I may as well try.