Unofficial marriage certificate now, or official later?

[Gretch 11]

My husband and I were just married a few days ago in Rwanda. There are three kinds of official marriage certificates here, but USCIS says only one of them counts, and it's the one that's hard to get. Since I have to go back to the US in a few days, it will take some time for my husband to get that certificate, get it translated, and get it through the mail.

The "unofficial" one that I have is signed and stamped and everything. Can I send that one in now to get the process started, and have my husband take the real one to his interview? Or is there a big risk that my application will be denied and we'll have to start over again anyway?

I don't really have a lot of supporting evidence. We're going to have to scramble to get a joint bank account before I go; otherwise it's basically pictures. We don't have a joint lease. It sounds like the letters from friends/family are not given any credit so I wasn't going to try to get those from anyone here in Rwanda before I go... unless it's necessary?

Basically, my main question is, do you guys think I should wait to apply until I have the super-official marriage certificate, even though it might take several weeks.

Also, in order to avoid the problem of slow and possibly lost mail: is a scanned and printed copy of the marriage certificate acceptable?

The US Embassy in Rwanda claims that documents in French are acceptable untranslated, and that almost no documents issued in Rwanda need translation, but USCIS says everything has to be in English, so I'm thinking to translate everything to be on the safe side...

[mallafri76 1,012]

If USCIS says only one of the marriage certs count then if you send in the I-130 now, you'll get an RFE requesting the correct marriage cert. So yes, you should be able to file now and then send in the correct marriage cert once you get the RFE.

Most people doing the CR/IR-1 don't have joint bank accounts, joint homes etc. Most of us use photos, boarding passes/passport stamps, chat logs etc to prove bona fida.

Everything you send to USCIS has to be in English. Everything sent to NVC can be sent in English or in the official language of the country in which the interview will take place, mostly.

You only send copies of your certs etc. The originals are brought to the interview.

[Expat1 971]

My husband and I were just married a few days ago in Rwanda. There are three kinds of official marriage certificates here, but USCIS says only one of them counts, and it's the one that's hard to get. Since I have to go back to the US in a few days, it will take some time for my husband to get that certificate, get it translated, and get it through the mail.

The "unofficial" one that I have is signed and stamped and everything. Can I send that one in now to get the process started, and have my husband take the real one to his interview? Or is there a big risk that my application will be denied and we'll have to start over again anyway?

I don't really have a lot of supporting evidence. We're going to have to scramble to get a joint bank account before I go; otherwise it's basically pictures. We don't have a joint lease. It sounds like the letters from friends/family are not given any credit so I wasn't going to try to get those from anyone here in Rwanda before I go... unless it's necessary?

Basically, my main question is, do you guys think I should wait to apply until I have the super-official marriage certificate, even though it might take several weeks.

Also, in order to avoid the problem of slow and possibly lost mail: is a scanned and printed copy of the marriage certificate acceptable?

The US Embassy in Rwanda claims that documents in French are acceptable untranslated, and that almost no documents issued in Rwanda need translation, but USCIS says everything has to be in English, so I'm thinking to translate everything to be on the safe side...

If you use that unofficial one to get the process started you will probably just receive an RFE for the right one. It still puts you ahead. If you file everything correctly and miss or have the wrong version of a document they usually won't reject the application.

I don't think anyone has a joint bank account or joint lease or joint anything at this point. We didn't. No possible way until the husband/wife arrives in the US and gets a SS# number. That type of evidence usually isn't required until applying for removal of conditions.

If you mail anything to USCIS, it has to be translated to English. What the embassy accepts and what USCIS accepts are sometimes different, two completely different departments.

Don't send USCIS originals of ANYTHING.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Expat1

[NikLR 13,230]

The USCIS doesnt expect a lot from newlyweds in terms of financial co-mingling, however you still want to front load. Check out the EZspouseguide in the wiki for a list of ideas of evidence. Proof of time spent together is best, followed by financials, and then regular communication.