Birth Certificate for Philippines K1 Visa

[RA_PH1 5]

Hi All, 

 

I have a question if anyone has had done a K1 visa for someone in the Philippines and were able to use a Birth Certificate from a local Municipality instead of one from the Philippines Statistics Authority?

 

Me and my fiancé had already submitted our I-129F to USCIS back in July 2022. She had provided me 2 types of Birth Certificates. One was from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) and one was from her local municipality office. The reason she provided 2 versions of her Birth Certificates was because her original PSA was handwritten and it was scanned in blurry and unclear. Her local municipal certificate is a clear version and these 2 birth certificates were used to apply for her Philippines passport. I reviewed the documents with my lawyer and she advised we can submit it with the 2 copies. However, my lawyer told me we would need to request a clearer copy of the PSA Birth Certificate down the road. She believes that may be needed during the consulate interview. I agreed we should try to obtain a clearer copy of the PSA Birth Certificate and had advised my fiancé on obtaining one. 

 

The issue is that my fiancé had attempted 2 times working with her local PSA office to obtain a clearer copy. Each time she requested a copy, she requested the copy be clearer. However, each time she comes to pickup the copy, it is not an updated clear copy. She has directed issue to the director of the office there on her 2nd attempt. So we'll wait and see if the third copy is clear. However, the whole situation is a bit frustrating, because she has to pay for each copy of the Birth Certificate even though it was not clear. I am not sure what other recourse we can do to pursue the matter since I am not familiar with the process of the country. Normally, in the US, if we are unsatisfied with the performance of a government office we can report it to our congress person. 

So I guess it becomes more of a 2 question, do we just try with the 2 Birth Certificates from the PSA and local municipality or do we try to escalate the issue to her congressperson? She tells me her government is corrupt. So she is not too confident anything is going to happen if she reports to her congressperson. 

 

Thank You any advice will be greatly appreciated.  

 

 

[top_secret 2,387]

You can try ordering a copy from PSA online at https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/ .  It may or may not be identical to what you get from the local PSA office but it eliminates the local office middle man and it's only $6 to find out.  The Embassy will require the PSA Birth Certificate.  They may look at the LCRO copy for reference if it helps clarify the PSA copy but a PSA Birth Certificate is the requirement.

 

How bad is it?  Is it difficult to read but you can make it out with some effort?  Or is it absolutely illegible?  If it's really that bad of a copy, I think you have to get the local civil registry office to send a new copy to PSA.  I 'think' it would need to be initiated by the LCRO not initiated by PSA (???)  There would be an endorsement fee and she might be able to get expedited processing for a fee.

Edited February 28, 2023 by top_secret

[RA_PH1 5]

52 minutes ago, top_secret said:

You can try ordering a copy from PSA online at https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/ .  It may or may not be identical to what you get from the local PSA office but it eliminates the local office middle man and it's only $6 to find out.  The Embassy will require the PSA Birth Certificate.  They may look at the LCRO copy for reference if it helps clarify the PSA copy but a PSA Birth Certificate is the requirement.

 

How bad is it?  Is it difficult to read but you can make it out with some effort?  Or is it absolutely illegible?  If it's really that bad of a copy, I think you have to get the local civil registry office to send a new copy to PSA.  I 'think' it would need to be initiated by the LCRO not initiated by PSA (???)  There would be an endorsement fee and she might be able to get expedited processing for a fee.

Thank you for the quick response. I will mention about using the online form instead to see. Since we are still a long way on the waiting game for the I-129F, we're not in a rush. But would definitely want to make sure we get all her documents secured so we won't be rushing last minute for this. 

 

It's really bad. I would say like 60% of the PSA Birth Certificate or the top half is illegible. The only part that is clear is the bottom half where it shows the weight. Her name and parent's name are illegible. They also accidentally marked her SEX as both Male and Female. So when it was entered in later into the system, they actually marked her down as a male. She actually had to get a sonograph to show she was actually a female for the LCRO to mark it down as Female. 

The LCRO is crystal clear, it clearly shows the illegible part of her name and her parent's name, and it has a remark about the gender clarification. 

 

I will ask her to see if she is aware of that process. To get it initiated with the LCRO instead of PSA. 

 

Thank you, I appreciate all this information. It gives us some leads to follow while we wait out the I-129F time. 

 

[powerpuff 6,641]

~~ Topic moved from K1 forum to Regional discussion: Philippines as the question is specific to the Philippines ~~

[MarryMe987654 244]

Unfortunately, PSA copies are notorious for having really bad print because they are usually a copy of the handwritten document which is the original birth certificate from the hospital, then submitted to the city hall. If you notice, the original birth certificate is copied and resized to fit the PSA security paper.

 

Since she already got a better version of her birth certificate from her LCR, ask them (the LCR) to submit it to PSA to update her record. It should be available for ordering via PSA after a month or so.

[RA_PH1 5]

13 hours ago, MarryMe987654 said:

Unfortunately, PSA copies are notorious for having really bad print because they are usually a copy of the handwritten document which is the original birth certificate from the hospital, then submitted to the city hall. If you notice, the original birth certificate is copied and resized to fit the PSA security paper.

 

Since she already got a better version of her birth certificate from her LCR, ask them (the LCR) to submit it to PSA to update her record. It should be available for ordering via PSA after a month or so.

Thank You for your reply!

 

I see that there is common denominator of making the request to the LCR. We'll try that route and see what happens from there. 

 

I don't know how the PSA works. But I had assumed that they had digitized their records and the copy would've looked like her LCR Birth Certificate where it was a clear print. It is strange that their Birth Certificate copy was an actual photocopy of the original handwritten one. Makes you wonder if PSA even has a digital record of it or they just pull out the photocopy (illegible) version whenever they need to verify their birth information....

[top_secret 2,387]

55 minutes ago, RA_PH1 said:

I don't know how the PSA works. But I had assumed that they had digitized their records and the copy would've looked like her LCR Birth Certificate where it was a clear print. It is strange that their Birth Certificate copy was an actual photocopy of the original handwritten one. Makes you wonder if PSA even has a digital record of it or they just pull out the photocopy (illegible) version whenever they need to verify their birth information....

 

PSA copies are just a printout of a scan of the original record.  The only thing that makes them special is they are printed on PSA paper with the PSA seal so that makes them an "official copy".  Most older records are either handwritten or typed on an old school typewriter.  Some of those records had been cooking in a file cabinet in tropical humidity for a few years or been through a typhoon, fire or some other miscellaneous calamities before they ever got scanned.

 

If what you have now from the LCRO is filled on a computer rather than just a clearer copy of the old handwritten one(?) it's possible they already fixed it and have sent or are sending the new copy to PSA which might just take a month or two before it becomes available.  She still should probably confirm that with the LCRO but it could be the case you just need to wait a bit longer to get the updated version from PSA.
 

[RA_PH1 5]

59 minutes ago, top_secret said:

 

PSA copies are just a printout of a scan of the original record.  The only thing that makes them special is they are printed on PSA paper with the PSA seal so that makes them an "official copy".  Most older records are either handwritten or typed on an old school typewriter.  Some of those records had been cooking in a file cabinet in tropical humidity for a few years or been through a typhoon, fire or some other miscellaneous calamities before they ever got scanned.

 

If what you have now from the LCRO is filled on a computer rather than just a clearer copy of the old handwritten one(?) it's possible they already fixed it and have sent or are sending the new copy to PSA which might just take a month or two before it becomes available.  She still should probably confirm that with the LCRO but it could be the case you just need to wait a bit longer to get the updated version from PSA.
 

That makes sense. 

 

Her LCRO copy is from July 2022 when we filed her petition. It's been way longer than 2 months. If the LCRO did fixed it, then it may not have been sent to PSA, which is why the past several months have been the same illegible copy. 

 

Like I mentioned earlier, it seems the common denominator is the LCRO. I will see if she can follow up with them to ensure they had sent the information to PSA. 

[RO_AH 1,659]

On 2/28/2023 at 9:49 AM, RA_PH1 said:

I am not sure what other recourse we can do to pursue the matter since I am not familiar with the process of the country. Normally, in the US, if we are unsatisfied with the performance of a government office we can report it to our congress person. 

I think you are very far removed from Philippine culture and are expecting it to be like America. Trust me this will be a very big problem for you in the future and in your relationship if you do not change your thinking. In the Philippines you do not make waves and you need to be very tactful about getting things done. It can be difficult to get things done and may require a lot of navigation, and must always be done in a friendly manner with a smile.

On 2/28/2023 at 9:49 AM, RA_PH1 said:

So I guess it becomes more of a 2 question, do we just try with the 2 Birth Certificates from the PSA and local municipality or do we try to escalate the issue to her congressperson? She tells me her government is corrupt. So she is not too confident anything is going to happen if she reports to her congressperson. 

PSA is the official document that is accepted. It may just have a copy of the original LCR certificate, but it has the magic PSA paper and stamp which makes it official. When I ordered a new BC in CA, I received the same type of official document from CA Dept of Health with a scan of my original. Unless she is well connected to and politician, she will get no help from contacting them. Only making waves (see above).

[RO_AH 1,659]

4 minutes ago, RA_PH1 said:

Her LCRO copy is from July 2022 when we filed her petition. It's been way longer than 2 months. If the LCRO did fixed it, then it may not have been sent to PSA, which is why the past several months have been the same illegible copy. 

Yes, have her go to the LCR and inquire if they have transmitted the new one to them. If not she can request that they do. You have about a 50% chance or less that a birth certificate is 100% accurate. My wife's BC had her listed as a male and her mothers age as 45 lol. I had it changed. I paid a family friend (of hers) 2500 PHP who had a lot of contacts to get it done. Best money ever spent. Even 1 of our sons has my nationality as "Filipino" on his certificate. I even told my sister in law to triple check everything before submitting knowing how messed up it is there.

[RA_PH1 5]

16 minutes ago, RO_AH said:

I think you are very far removed from Philippine culture and are expecting it to be like America. Trust me this will be a very big problem for you in the future and in your relationship if you do not change your thinking. In the Philippines you do not make waves and you need to be very tactful about getting things done. It can be difficult to get things done and may require a lot of navigation, and must always be done in a friendly manner with a smile.

It is true, I am very far removed from the Philippines culture. As I grew up in the US, I don't have any idea of how the culture is there. This is why I am here asking for advice and throwing out some possible ideas before I do anything damaging like making the waves you referenced. 

 

Quote

PSA is the official document that is accepted. It may just have a copy of the original LCR certificate, but it has the magic PSA paper and stamp which makes it official. When I ordered a new BC in CA, I received the same type of official document from CA Dept of Health with a scan of my original. Unless she is well connected to and politician, she will get no help from contacting them. Only making waves (see above).

My only concern is illegibility of the PSA birth certificate. I am concern it will not be accepted by USCIS on the I-129F petition or during any other part of the process up to the Visa issuance. This is why I am here seeking information to see if there is a way to get this resolved before we run into the issue. Rather be proactive than reactive 🙂

 

6 minutes ago, RO_AH said:

Yes, have her go to the LCR and inquire if they have transmitted the new one to them. If not she can request that they do. You have about a 50% chance or less that a birth certificate is 100% accurate. My wife's BC had her listed as a male and her mothers age as 45 lol. I had it changed. I paid a family friend (of hers) 2500 PHP who had a lot of contacts to get it done. Best money ever spent. Even 1 of our sons has my nationality as "Filipino" on his certificate. I even told my sister in law to triple check everything before submitting knowing how messed up it is there.

Kind of disappointing that we will need to "grease some palms" just to get them to do their job 🙃. If I was in your situation, I wouldn't mind paying that amount to get it fixed too. But the problem is finding someone who has that connection in the first place. 

Edited March 2, 2023 by RA_PH1

[top_secret 2,387]

1 minute ago, RA_PH1 said:

My only concern is illegibility of the PSA birth certificate. I am concern it will not be accepted by USCIS on the I-129F petition or during any other part of the process up to the Visa issuance. This is why I am here seeking information to see if there is a way to get this resolved before we run into the issue. Rather be proactive than reactive 🙂

 

Wise move.  It probably would be a problem at the embassy and would hold up visa issuance until it was resolved.

[RO_AH 1,659]

43 minutes ago, RA_PH1 said:

But the problem is finding someone who has that connection in the first place.

Yes, I was lucky.

44 minutes ago, RA_PH1 said:

My only concern is illegibility of the PSA birth certificate. I am concern it will not be accepted by USCIS on the I-129F petition or during any other part of the process up to the Visa issuance.

I understand completely. It's worth it to keep trying. Good thing you are starting early. Just understand things move very slowly over there and expecting them to be more like America will only lead to frustration and stress.

[Carpe Vinum 2,327]

On 2/28/2023 at 1:49 PM, RA_PH1 said:

Hi All, 

 

I have a question if anyone has had done a K1 visa for someone in the Philippines and were able to use a Birth Certificate from a local Municipality instead of one from the Philippines Statistics Authority?

 

Me and my fiancé had already submitted our I-129F to USCIS back in July 2022. She had provided me 2 types of Birth Certificates. One was from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) and one was from her local municipality office. The reason she provided 2 versions of her Birth Certificates was because her original PSA was handwritten and it was scanned in blurry and unclear. Her local municipal certificate is a clear version and these 2 birth certificates were used to apply for her Philippines passport. I reviewed the documents with my lawyer and she advised we can submit it with the 2 copies. However, my lawyer told me we would need to request a clearer copy of the PSA Birth Certificate down the road. She believes that may be needed during the consulate interview. I agreed we should try to obtain a clearer copy of the PSA Birth Certificate and had advised my fiancé on obtaining one. 

 

The issue is that my fiancé had attempted 2 times working with her local PSA office to obtain a clearer copy. Each time she requested a copy, she requested the copy be clearer. However, each time she comes to pickup the copy, it is not an updated clear copy. She has directed issue to the director of the office there on her 2nd attempt. So we'll wait and see if the third copy is clear. However, the whole situation is a bit frustrating, because she has to pay for each copy of the Birth Certificate even though it was not clear. I am not sure what other recourse we can do to pursue the matter since I am not familiar with the process of the country. Normally, in the US, if we are unsatisfied with the performance of a government office we can report it to our congress person. 

So I guess it becomes more of a 2 question, do we just try with the 2 Birth Certificates from the PSA and local municipality or do we try to escalate the issue to her congressperson? She tells me her government is corrupt. So she is not too confident anything is going to happen if she reports to her congressperson. 

 

Thank You any advice will be greatly appreciated.  

 

 

My wife's PSA birth certificate had some problem with visibility. My wife took that and the local old tissue paper looking copy to the embassy. The seemed aware that these things happen and took both without batting an eye. They returned the tissue paper original with her Visa and passport. This was 2019 so YMMV.

 

***I may be a little foggy but you only submit your birth certificate with the 129F. Not the beneficiary's. That happens at the embassy stage.***

Edited March 2, 2023 by Carpe Vinum

[RUJEN 140]

I had the same thing happen a year ago with our k-1. She had a PSA copy that was completely illegible and a clear copy from the local Municipality. We sent both copies together and didn"t have a problem.......