non-english speakers

[nica19 0]

My fiance speaks spanish and very very little english, though she is learning. I manage a pretty rough spanish but would not say I was "fluent".

My general question is this: Is this going to present any problems in the Visa process?

Specifically: Do I need to have documents translated, such as the orginal statement declaring intent to marry, into spanish for her to sign or can they be in english for submission.

thanks!

[TimsDaisy 0]

Everything done in a native language must also be translated for the government to see. Interviews are generally conducted either in English or in the country's main language(s).

Check out the "Guides" and "FAQ" section here for more on document translation requirements.

[lucyrich 20]

For the original petition submission to the USCIS, everything not in English needs to be accompanied by an English translation.

If she can read and understand an English statement of intent well enough to be comfortable signing it, that's probably the easiest thing to do. And a letter of intent does not need to be very long or use very complicated language.

Once you finish the USCIS petition and go into the consulate, different translation rules apply. I'm not 100% sure about Nicaragua, but in most of Latin America, the consular officers are fluent in Spanish and will happily conduct the interview in Spanish. At the consulate, they will probably not require English translations of any Spanish documents you submit to them.

There IS a possible issue regarding the bona fide nature of your relationship. How do you two communicate? Do you have evidence, or can you demonstrate, that you're able to communicate well enough to carry on a relationship? Perfect fluency isn't required, of course, since an understanding listener can compensate for a less than perfectly competent speaker (I say that through personal experience).

Although attendance of the USC at the consular interview is NOT strictly required, it may be helpful. If the two of you attend the interview together and demonstrate an ability to communicate, it will go a long way toward eliminating any concern in this area.

Then again, the issue might not come up...

[sailorinaz 0]

I recommend contacting the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua where the interview will be conducted. Check out their website and send them some emails. I had all the Spanish documents translated in to English. They were all certified translations. I.E. the person or organization that did the translations certified them to be correct translations. However, when we went for our interview, the interviewing officer didn't care if they were translated. Better to be safe then sorry. If you are worried that the embassy might frown upon the language problem, you could try to enroll her in basic Ingles class or you could enroll in Spanish class. Just enroll in something that will provide you proof that you are enrolled and attending. Just a thought.

[trueimage 0]

My SO does not speak much English. I typed up his statement of intent to marry and then explained to him what it said. He took it to a notary to sign. He explained to the notary that he understood what it said and then they notarized it. The notary stamp is in Spanish. We were approved just fine.

I can't see that the language barrier will be an issue until you get to the AOS stage and have to interview. (Unless Ncaragua allows USC's to accompany fiancees at the consulate interview and you intend to be there). At the AOS interview you will both definately be there. The CO may wonder how you communicate with each other. I would take this time to work on your Spanish now and be better prepared. You won't need to speak on an educated level, but you will need to show that you two can communicate.

I think the documents being in Spanish at the Consulate level would probably be ok, but I would check to make sure. Any documents that you send to USCIS or that you use with AOS interview will need to be in English.

[jundp 191]

I recommend contacting the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua where the interview will be conducted. Check out their website and send them some emails. I had all the Spanish documents translated in to English. They were all certified translations. I.E. the person or organization that did the translations certified them to be correct translations. However, when we went for our interview, the interviewing officer didn't care if they were translated. Better to be safe then sorry.

I agree with this. I know that the Frankfurt embassy says documents can be in English or German. But you need English translations for AOS.

[nica19 0]

Wow, thanks for everyones responses!

I should point out that maybe i was being a bit hard on myself with saying that i manage a "pretty rough spanish". My spanish is good enough that we really don't have any problems communicating, we talk on the phone about once a week and email and text each other daily. I can be a bit self-concious about my spanish. So I dont think that there really is a problem with anyone questioning how do we communicate, at least i think if there was i am confident we could demonstrate this pretty easily.

Anyways, thanks again for all your responses.