I130 RFE

[L&SH 0]

Hello fellow VJers,

We just received an RFE email on the 5th May it took a further 10 days for the hardcopy to reach us.

They are requesting a LEGIBLE COPY of the beneficiary divorce certificate. I am the beneficiary & a UK citizen, the divorce decree we sent to them was perfectly legible, my husband took a copy of the document which he is now sending in to CSC which he says is also perfectly legible.

Are we missing something here?

Have any other UK citizens had issues with the divorce certificate?

Any comments or pointers here would be gratefully received, after waiting 5 months the RFE is most frustrating.

[trojam227 18]

I think other UK applicants have had similar problems with the divorce decree absolute. If you say it was perfectly legible then maybe it's a problem with the USCIS recognizing the document. Read this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/319837-rfe-divorce-decree/

[L&SH 0]

Thanks so much for the link, i am in a panic now as i will not get to talk to my husband until later this evening & he may have just posted an exact copy of the divorce document without knowing any of this information. Aaaaah! It would be tragic if we got denied over this as the UK divorce certificate was the original certified document in the first place & USCIS maybe just didn't recognise it as such. Is it worth sending a follow up letter if this is the case? Is there any way to appeal if denial on this issue were to happen?

[cathy2904 97]

Trojam227 is right in that this does seem to come up from time to time, I don't know why it is sometimes an issue and sometimes not. We filed just after Donnison so when I saw the post that Trojam has linked you to I panicked and got new certified copies so I would be ready to send another with the relevant parts highlighted etc but there was no query with my decree.

I guess you mean that he may have already responded to the RFE with the exact same document. That's tricky. Do you still have a copy of the RFE letter? If so, maybe send again marked as suggested in Donnison's thread. I haven't re-read it so this may be mentioned, but I would also send a cover letter pointing out that this is the standard UK divorce decree and doesn't have a signature or seal. I am sure the thread does suggest highlighting the key words and phrases and sending a color copy so that the stamp shows in red (if yours is red).

If you don't have a copy of the RFE you could try a follow-up letter but there is a possibility it will not get matched up with your file.

Very annoying for you. I'm sorry but good luck.

Edited May 15, 2012 by cathy2904

[L&SH 0]

We sent the original document in with the I130 which did have the red stamp, all we have now are copies, i think the one my husband will be sending is probably in B&W, he doesn't have access to a colour copier. If i manage to get a hold of him before he sends the exact same document we should be ok as i can get him to add a cover letter explaining the UK divorce decree format.

I am so frustrated by this!

[cathy2904 97]

I am so frustrated by this!

I completely understand that. Especially as it seems to depend who picks your file up as to whether they recognize the document as the norm or not. You can get a new 'original' from the court that issued it in the first place. I did that just in case and they charged me ￡5. It was just a (poor quality) photocopy with a stamp on it. Luckily I didn't need it.

Don't want to panic you even more but I saw this when we were going through the process - http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/329952-anybody-else-have-this-happen/

I think it is very unusual that they ask for a marriage certificate from previous marriages but of course you relinquish it when you are divorced, so I did order a new one 'just in case'. They didn't ask me for it at my interview.

[L&SH 0]

Disaster averted phew!!!

Thanks to you guys i managed to get a message to my husband before he posted an exact copy of the original decree absolute, had him highlight the relevant info on the decree & write a full explanation stating that this is the official document issued by the court here in the UK.

Fingers crossed that we will get approved soon, i am going slowly mad waiting. I hope the NVC stage is faster, we have everything ready to go as soon as i get the numbers i need to progress.

Hoping that the olympics being held in London won't hold up my interview date or make it too hard to get to London on the two occasions, for the medical & then the interview. Why is this all so hard? I just want to go home to be with my husband!

Thanks again for you suggestions VJ has proved invaluable in getting this all together.