Notarization and and family register for I-130 – conflicting information

[elvenshadow 19]

I had my father in the US call USCIS for me to ask some questions since I live in Japan and long distance charges and time zone differences make it very difficult.

He said that USCIS told him that I must have all self-translations notarized, yet I have seen many people on this forum say that this is not true. Could it be possible that notarization is only necessary for the NVC and not the I-130, or should I get the self-translated documents for the I-130 notarized?

USCIS told my father that we should include a copy and translation of my wife’s family register with the I-130, yet some people on this forum said that I SHOULDN’T include the family register because it is unnecessary and could actually hurt my case.

Now I am quite confused… can anyone please explain the contradicting information?

Thank you.

[Ryan H 3,810]

The customer service line at USCIS is often called the misinformation line and there is a reason for that; they often give out inaccurate information over the phone.

I'll take your questions point by point:

• Translations; the only thing required is a signed attestation statement that says the translation is accurate and the person doing the translating is competent to do so. While I usually recommend a 3rd party sign the attestation statement, there is no rule that I have seen that says you can't self translate.
• The family register; it's up to whether or not you want to include it, it's not required. Should you elect to include it, I don't see how it would harm your case.