How soon can you gather/request certain documents???

[I & JJ <3 9]

Hello fellow VJers,

In an attempt to be proactive (super proactive in my case) I've been gathering all of the documentation required during the NVC stage, with the exception of a few items.

I'm wondering how soon is too soon for the items below:

Employment letter

Police Certificate

I'm guessing the letter from your employer can be requested whenever but I wanted to double check. I plan on requesting my letter soon and since there will be a date on it I want to make sure that it won't matter if the date on the letter is an earlier date than tthat on the actual NOA2 (my case has not been approved as of yet). I'm a drafter for an architectural glass and metal company and these past couple of years the construction business has been wavering, thus my company has had to downsize a few times already. I prefer to ask for the letter now that I still have a job!!! (I'm sure that if they were to fire me they would give me a letter stating that I did work for them from 2008-2010 but it'd just easier to get the letter now).

As far as the police certificate, my husband says that in DR it expires after one month. I love him dearly but for some reason I feel like I have to double check any information he gives me regarding this process (I know this is soo wrong of me but I'm my defense I try to double check anything I do as well ). Does anyone know if this is true? Does the police certificate in the Dominican Republic expire after one month? after more than one month?

Are there any other documents that expire, which I failed to mention here?

I'm sorry if this is something that I should obviously know, but it's info I don't think I have come across before. Thanks in advance for any responses.

[Ribs & Beans 19]

Not wrong of you at all--I know exactly what you mean . I have read that the police certificate is good for NVC for a year, whether or not it expires in the home country or not. I'll try to find where I read that when I get home later. I'll also double check the one we just got from Santiago--I don't remember seeing an expiration date at all, but then again, I didn't read it thoroughly...

As for the employment letter...don't know about that one! I figure if it's within a month or two, it's probably ok. Maybe someone will come along who will give you some better answers than I can!

[cherriesss 4]

Not wrong of you at all--I know exactly what you mean . I have read that the police certificate is good for NVC for a year, whether or not it expires in the home country or not. I'll try to find where I read that when I get home later. I'll also double check the one we just got from Santiago--I don't remember seeing an expiration date at all, but then again, I didn't read it thoroughly...

Agreed. I was told the same thing at my local US Embassy.

About the employment letter, if you have access to requesting it at any moment, then I would say you can wait. But since I am an obsessive freak, I would ask for one now and then, when the date you have to send it draws closer, request a more recently dated one.

[MrTee12 64]

Employee letter from the Petitioner can be within 30 days. I did this last so it should be closer to the day of the interview. I remember having it and waiting another month or two and I had request another one before I left for my interview. So word of advice, DO THIS LAST!

The police report is valid for more than 1 month (not sure of the exact time of validity), but get this towards the end as well. My wife got hers done last as well. As close as the interview as possible, but within in 30 days what most people do.

[Aztec&Taino 144]

Employee letter from the Petitioner can be within 30 days. I did this last so it should be closer to the day of the interview. I remember having it and waiting another month or two and I had request another one before I left for my interview. So word of advice, DO THIS LAST!

The police report is valid for more than 1 month (not sure of the exact time of validity), but get this towards the end as well. My wife got hers done last as well. As close as the interview as possible, but within in 30 days what most people do.

MrTee12,

Thank you for "sticking around," even though your now wife is in the US. Your advice is much appreciate by us, the people who are still going through the process and are painfully away from our loved ones. Thank you very much! Muchisimas gracias.

If you have questions about your wife's adjustment status or next steps in her process, perhaps I can help you since I am a naturalized citizen, and I mostly remember what I had to go through. Funny thing, I remember that after my naturalization ceremony I was SO happy to be finally done with immigration procedures, forever! Who would have known that I would fall madly in love with a non-US citizen? Now, I need to have even more patience than I had years ago...

[TheUndreaming 0]

What about those of us in the US Military? Does our initial (or re-enlistment) contracts count as an employment letter? ... 0.o

[Wayne and Claudia 40]

Make the employment letter recent, within a month of your dated signature of the AOS. Police certificate from the DR not sure. I like the way Colombia does their's now...they issue a number and anyone with that number can go to their website and pull up things that may have happened yesterday. That's called streamlining.

[jaz00mine 8]

Doesn't the birth certificate expire as well?

Mr tee what docs do u recommend we get now while we wait?

[I & JJ <3 9]

Not wrong of you at all--I know exactly what you mean . I have read that the police certificate is good for NVC for a year, whether or not it expires in the home country or not. I'll try to find where I read that when I get home later. I'll also double check the one we just got from Santiago--I don't remember seeing an expiration date at all, but then again, I didn't read it thoroughly...

As for the employment letter...don't know about that one! I figure if it's within a month or two, it's probably ok. Maybe someone will come along who will give you some better answers than I can!

Thanks. I'm going to tell him to hold off for a while. He says they'll give it to him the same day (or at least I think that's what he told me) so it won't be problem to wait a bit longer.

[I & JJ <3 9]

Agreed. I was told the same thing at my local US Embassy.

About the employment letter, if you have access to requesting it at any moment, then I would say you can wait. But since I am an obsessive freak, I would ask for one now and then, when the date you have to send it draws closer, request a more recently dated one.

I'd consider asking for it twice if my human resources manager weren't such a pain. You have to ask a million times to get something done...I think I'll just wait a bit longer instead. Thanks for the advice.

[I & JJ <3 9]

Make the employment letter recent, within a month of your dated signature of the AOS. Police certificate from the DR not sure. I like the way Colombia does their's now...they issue a number and anyone with that number can go to their website and pull up things that may have happened yesterday. That's called streamlining.

Ok, seems like the verdict is to wait. Thanks for your reply

[Ribs & Beans 19]

Well, I just looked over my husband's BC (that we requested in July) and his police certificate, and I see no expiration date on either one...unless it's encoded in a stamp or something on here...

[I & JJ <3 9]

Doesn't the birth certificate expire as well?

Mr tee what docs do u recommend we get now while we wait?

A couple of people told my husband and I to send a copy of his birth certificate along with the I-130, although I don't remember it being on the list of required documents. The one thing they all said was to get it legalizado inextensa. When I translate that word on google it says "unextended" but that doesn't really help explain whether it expires or not so I'll just ask my husband the next time we talk.

[I & JJ <3 9]

Well, I just looked over my husband's BC (that we requested in July) and his police certificate, and I see no expiration date on either one...unless it's encoded in a stamp or something on here...

LOL...I didn't see any expiration date on my husband's bc either. I still want to ask him what inextensa is supposed to mean.

[ScottThuy 140]

Birth certificates dont expire.. Police certs do.. usually 1 year from the date it is issued and its a consular time limit not generally stamped on the doc, but there are exceptions at some consulates as they may limit it to 6 months or less..

the medical results is another timed document and that can be a pain... dont put these off to close to the interview but make sure they can be obtained before the interview and that the visa isnt held off because a doc is missing...