Birth certificate with different name?

[LlamaInvasion 76]

All right, so I got an RFE. They need a birth certificate from South Korea where I was born (apparently the Norwegian one was not good enough - I foolishly assumed it would be since I'm adopted and that's the only birth certificate I have). So now I need to figure out where to get a South Korean birth certificate (I assume one exists - I was found in an alley, so no record of my birth actually exists, but I was in the Korean system for about five months before getting adopted).

The problem is, I think my Korean birth certificate only has my Korean name on it, which I did not include under other names on the I-485 (or anywhere else for that matter) in my application. How can I rectify this, so when I submit a birth certificate for Cha Mee Ri, they won't just toss it out because it has neither my maiden nor married name on it? (My parents gave me a 100% Norwegian name - there is nothing linking my name to my Korean name.) How can I make them understand Cha Mee Ri is me?

And does anyone know where and how I'd go about getting "a copy of the applicant's foreign birth certificate issued by the appropriate civil authority?" from South Korea?

[Mrstate 1]

Maybe you can ask some info on a koreab embassy on how you can get your birth certificate and ask the uscis for an info pass that way you can explain to them your situation and hopefully they can give u a better option

[LlamaInvasion 76]

They wrote if I can't procure a Korean birth certificate, I need an official written statement on government letterhead, explaining why the birth certificate does not exist.

In either case, this does not look like something I can resolve within a week or even a month, so I might have to drop the AOS and go the CR-1 route instead, depending on how long this takes.

[Little_My 464]

How were you adopted? Meaning did your parents adopt you from an orphanage or through a Norwegian based organization etc. ? I would maybe start with that - whatever was the establishment or institution that you were taken to when you were first found should have some kind of a record of you. I don't know the details of your past - i.e. how old you were when you were found, but I think it would be safe to assume that if you had been left in an alley, your biological mother had also not taken the time to officially register your birth (and that you most likely were not born in a hospital).

So, if there is a way to get in touch with the establishment / organization that handled your adoption, start with that. See if they still have any record of you. If not, then try the embassy. If the embassy is a dead end as well, then ask them if they would provide you with the letter stating that there just isn't a birth certificate for you in South Korea.

You are correct though - this process might take some time. But then again, all you really need to travel to Norway to give birth is the AP, and you should be able to get that by July. Then, if your interview is postponed because of this, that is actually better for you since it might be pushed further to the fall when you would already be returning from Norway anyway.

How were you adopted? Meaning did your parents adopt you from an orphanage or through a Norwegian based organization etc. ? I would maybe start with that - whatever was the establishment or institution that you were taken to when you were first found should have some kind of a record of you. I don't know the details of your past - i.e. how old you were when you were found, but I think it would be safe to assume that if you had been left in an alley, your biological mother had also not taken the time to officially register your birth (and that you most likely were not born in a hospital).

So, if there is a way to get in touch with the establishment / organization that handled your adoption, start with that. See if they still have any record of you. If not, then try the embassy. If the embassy is a dead end as well, then ask them if they would provide you with the letter stating that there just isn't a birth certificate for you in South Korea.

You are correct though - this process might take some time. But then again, all you really need to travel to Norway to give birth is the AP, and you should be able to get that by July. Then, if your interview is postponed because of this, that is actually better for you since it might be pushed further to the fall when you would already be returning from Norway anyway.

[LlamaInvasion 76]

I was adopted through Holt Children Services; I spoke to my parents, and they do have a birth certificate ("family register") documenting my Korean name, papers showing Holt Children Services were granted guardianship of me, papers documenting my adoption to Norway, the paper showing me being granted Norwegian citizenship, as well as a paper documenting my legal name change from my Korean name (appearing on the Korean birth certificate) to my Norwegian name. They're sending it all over. XD

I'm planning on sending USCIS my birth certificate and the name/citizenship change documents for sure - maybe I should send it all, just to be safe?

And yeah, there's definitely no hospital records of my birth, heh.

Edited April 2, 2011 by LlamaInvasion

[Myopia 93]

I was adopted through Holt Children Services; I spoke to my parents, and they do have a birth certificate ("family register") documenting my Korean name, papers showing Holt Children Services were granted guardianship of me, papers documenting my adoption to Norway, the paper showing me being granted Norwegian citizenship, as well as a paper documenting my legal name change from my Korean name (appearing on the Korean birth certificate) to my Norwegian name. They're sending it all over. XD

I'm planning on sending USCIS my birth certificate and the name/citizenship change documents for sure - maybe I should send it all, just to be safe?

And yeah, there's definitely no hospital records of my birth, heh.

I figured your parents would have it all.

Send everything. Remember you may need these documents translated so make sure you have a translator ready.

[LlamaInvasion 76]

My parents just e-mailed me photo copies of all the documents they had.

The birth certificate ("family register") is a certified translated copy. In fact, almost everything was certified translated copies. I'm going to assume this is not enough for USCIS, and they will also want copies of the original Korean documents. There were also a few Korean documents in the mix, but I had a hard time matching the correct Korean document to the correct translated documents. I think I matched up some of the adoption papers, but there's one mystery document left - I'm hoping it will be the birth certificate.

Does anyone know Korean? Can anyone tell me what this says?

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5586009244_dd58989219_b.jpg

What worries me though, is that it appears handwritten. I've been searching the internet all day and asked on various forums and communities to try to figure out what this says, but am not any wiser. I've written the embassy and tried calling them, both to inquire about this document as well as where to get an official copy, but no answer yet.

[Myopia 93]

My parents just e-mailed me photo copies of all the documents they had.

The birth certificate ("family register") is a certified translated copy. In fact, almost everything was certified translated copies. I'm going to assume this is not enough for USCIS, and they will also want copies of the original Korean documents. There were also a few Korean documents in the mix, but I had a hard time matching the correct Korean document to the correct translated documents. I think I matched up some of the adoption papers, but there's one mystery document left - I'm hoping it will be the birth certificate.

Does anyone know Korean? Can anyone tell me what this says?

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5586009244_dd58989219_b.jpg

What worries me though, is that it appears handwritten. I've been searching the internet all day and asked on various forums and communities to try to figure out what this says, but am not any wiser. I've written the embassy and tried calling them, both to inquire about this document as well as where to get an official copy, but no answer yet.

Did you try here??

Here

[LlamaInvasion 76]

I tried posting it there; hopefully I'll get an answer soon.

Does anyone know if I can send the additional evidence with a courier, like UPS? They gave me an address in the RFE letter, but there's no mention of how I should send it. I know for the application package, there were two addresses, one for normal mail and one for couriers.

The address they gave me is for the Dept. of Homeland Security, PO Box 648004, Lee's Summit, MO 64002.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Only USPS can delivery to PO Boxes, so that will have to be returned by normal postal mail (can be express USPS obviously). Have you tried Korean translating agencies, or the regional forums on VJ if you need to know what something is? Best of luck.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Harpa Timsah

[LlamaInvasion 76]

I already posted in the regional VJ forums, and I don't know of any Korean translating agencies that will do it for free this fast. I did find a friend who adopted a daughter from Korea though, and her daughter's family register/birth certificate looks about the same as mine. I think this might be it.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Well, they won't do it for free, but we had documents officially translated and the turn-around time was a day, and the cost around $50. I was thinking if you can determine that your paper is indeed your BC, then you could send it to an agency and have it back by tomorrow. Best of luck.

[LlamaInvasion 76]

Thanks, but we can't really afford the spare $50 at the moment; I have an official translation, I just need to match the Korean document to it, since they've gotten jumbled over the years. I just need to find someone who can read Korean online to verify that's what it says.