I Did Something Dumb

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Hi...

OK I know this is dumb but I can't undo it now After filing my I-130 I accidentally destroyed many of my original documents... When I returned home after getting married I completed the I-130 and gathered copies of the needed documentation (birth certificate, marriage license, old divorce document, etc) and mailed them in. I created a digital copy of everything and also created a PDF so I was not overly worried about making additional copies.. I could simply hit print and have an exact duplicate at any time..

So I made two piles: one to save, and one to shred... After creating the piles I began shredding and received a hone call.. I continued to shred while talking on the phone and as I finished i realized.. I had been shredding the wrong pile. I shred my birth certificate, divorce certificate, statement of singlehood, and marriage license,

I am only two weeks into filing the I-130 so I have time to replace most of these things but I have a few questions:

1) The replacement doc dates will not match the original document dates (as far as issue date) so at the interview they will not match the previous copies sent in... Will that be an issue?

2) Most of these documents required an Apostle the first time around (for the wedding, required by Colombia) I did not include the Apostles with the I-130 documents when I sent it in... Will I need to get new Apostles for these documents for the Bogota interview?

3) There is no true "certificate of singlehood" in the US so I created a letter that I have been single for 15+ years and had my mother/brother sign it, had it notarized, then had an Apostle created for it. I assume this is not needed for the consulate interview since we are now married.. Has anyone doing the IR-1/CR-1 been required to provide the original after the wedding?

I have high quality scans of all these documents and Apostles, I am trying to figure out exactly what I will need (original/certified copies) for the NVC/embassy from the stuff I destroyed.

Edited March 11, 2011 by OnMyWayID

[sarah et luc 7]

A lot of people get original state issued documents for I-130 6 months later when they are approved they are no longer valid! So I think that you'll be fine. They don't care about issue date just validity of document. Good luck don't worry.

[Darnell 8,478]

not a problem on 'new originals'

copies are submitted into USCIS for the I-130,

originals are required (most are on the foreign spouse) during NVC processing -

see DS-230 - http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3190.html

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Thank you very much..

I think I will Apostle the new docs again just to be safe and bug the next person that gets through Colombia with no problems to see if they require the singlehood certificate/

[Julie y Pat 67]

No need to get the new originals apostilled. When I was married in Colombia, the notario kept all of my original documents, and the apostilles that were attached, and I never made copies of them. We weren't asked for any of them at my wife's interview. If you were previously married, then it would be good to have originals of any divorce documentation, copies of which you would have submitted with the I130.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Thank you for the information. I suspected that was the case but I know it would have gnawed at me had I not verified it