RFE: Japanese Birth Certificate, they said we didn't submit the copy of the certificate??

[emjkitazawa 0]

Filed: I-485

Visa: K1 visa (Japanese fiance)

We received an RFE claiming we submitted the translation of the birth certificate but that we did NOT submit a copy of the foreign birth certificate.

However, we did submit both the copy of the foreign birth certificate, the translation, and the certification of the translation.

How do we reply to this RFE? Of course the birth certificate was in Japanese so is it possible they just didn't recognize it? It was attached to the translation so it should have been obvious.

Please help, no fun

[C&KWall 1]

Send it again. Maybe you actually forgot to provide it the first time or maybe they didn't see it. Either way whoever is working on your application says it isn't there. If they say it isn't there then for all intents and purposes it isn't and if they don't receive it they will probably close out the case failure to prosecute even if it is in the file so send it again.

[emjkitazawa 0]

Send it again. Maybe you actually forgot to provide it the first time or maybe they didn't see it. Either way whoever is working on your application says it isn't there. If they say it isn't there then for all intents and purposes it isn't and if they don't receive it they will probably close out the case failure to prosecute even if it is in the file so send it again.

I plan on sending it again, but what I'm mostly concerned about is if they think his koseki (family registry) is not satisfactory and that's why they sent the RFE. In that case, sending the same koseki will result in another RFE, I'm guessing. Japan does not have birth certificates, they have family registries and that is what we sent. I'm just wondering if because it is not a traditional birth certificate if there is something else we have to submit too.

Getting so tired of this process (I know everyone is). We are getting very close to our breaking point.

[agnesb 47]

Travel.state.gov has this info:

Available. The birth record of a Japanese national is contained in the Japanese family register (koseki shohon), showing date/place of birth and parents' names is issued by the Municipal Office of the applicant's legal domicile (honseki-chi).

So i guess they are aware koseki is the one they need. Maybe they just lost it..

[emjkitazawa 0]

Travel.state.gov has this info:

Available. The birth record of a Japanese national is contained in the Japanese family register (koseki shohon), showing date/place of birth and parents' names is issued by the Municipal Office of the applicant's legal domicile (honseki-chi).

So i guess they are aware koseki is the one they need. Maybe they just lost it..

Great!

Link please? I want to print and include this information in our reply. I can't seem to find this page on travel state gov site.

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/reciprocity-by-country.html

If you lose the site in the future it can be found easily again by googling 'visa reciprocity'

[agnesb 47]

Great!

Link please? I want to print and include this information in our reply. I can't seem to find this page on travel state gov site.

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/reciprocity-by-country/JA.html#docs

[neko 6]

I dug up the copy packet of what we submitted when we filed. We included Koseki Shohon, and I translated by myself, signed, and sent with the rest of docs. We didn't get RFE, so Shohon should be the one they need. Is yours Tohon, or Shohon?

[emjkitazawa 0]

We submitted the Shohon (abridged version) and did everything just as you did--translated and made a translation certificate and sent with everything else. I think we were just unlucky Did you apply for the I-131 and EAD at the same time? We did, and I'm wondering if because of that they expected us to send TWO Shohon's instead of one. No idea!

I dug up the copy packet of what we submitted when we filed. We included Koseki Shohon, and I translated by myself, signed, and sent with the rest of docs. We didn't get RFE, so Shohon should be the one they need. Is yours Tohon, or Shohon?

[neko 6]

We submitted the Shohon (abridged version) and did everything just as you did--translated and made a translation certificate and sent with everything else. I think we were just unlucky Did you apply for the I-131 and EAD at the same time? We did, and I'm wondering if because of that they expected us to send TWO Shohon's instead of one. No idea!

Yes, we did apply for advance parole.

Hmm, I have no idea why they are doing that to you.

If I were you, I would just call them, going through the waiting on the phone line, and ask them what they mean...

I'm sorry I couldn't help you, but I sure wish you all the best!!

Gambatte!