Paperwork

[awch]

We are having major paperwork headaches. It's mostly my fault- stupid me put all of his visa papers, including his birth certificate, in the box to mail here- and it's still not here. It should be here by the 20th, but we're getting worried.

 

So.. without his birth certificate, we don't have proper ID to get our marriage license. It's totally ridiculous- they will accept baptismal papers but he can't use his K-1 visa as a secondary ID.

 

Also, I need to get my drivers license and SSN card replaced since they were stolen a long time ago- but I want to change my name... so I can't get any of those without getting married first.

 

We were hoping XM would be able to get his SSN card tomorrow- since it will be 2 weeks by then... but I just checked the paper on SSN card they gave us at customs and it says he needs his birth certificate.

 

Besides kicking myself in the head for mailing that stuff instead of carrying it with us.... any advice?? Anyone have experience where the birth certificate wasn't asked for?

 

Thanks....

[HanLi]

I think you need the Birth Certificate.... the 20th is only a few days away..

[awch]

The problem is I might start working on Monday... I won't have any time off to do everything.....

 

And our other box came within a week which is why I'm worried. Guess I should wait till the 20th to be really worried.....

[LeeFisher3]

If you think it might be a problem you could see what the Chinese consulate might be able to do to assist in providing documentation.

[john90]

We are having major paperwork headaches. It's mostly my fault- stupid me put all of his visa papers, including his birth certificate, in the box to mail here- and it's still not here. It should be here by the 20th, but we're getting worried.

 

So.. without his birth certificate, we don't have proper ID to get our marriage license. It's totally ridiculous- they will accept baptismal papers but he can't use his K-1 visa as a secondary ID.

 

Also, I need to get my drivers license and SSN card replaced since they were stolen a long time ago- but I want to change my name... so I can't get any of those without getting married first.

 

We were hoping XM would be able to get his SSN card tomorrow- since it will be 2 weeks by then... but I just checked the paper on SSN card they gave us at customs and it says he needs his birth certificate.

 

Besides kicking myself in the head for mailing that stuff instead of carrying it with us.... any advice?? Anyone have experience where the birth certificate wasn't asked for?

 

Thanks....

154532[/snapback]

Hi,

 

We can relate to the frustation you are both going through regarding the birth certificate. My fiance and I tried to get a marriage license, but many of the municipalities around here (New York City area) required a birth certificate. We called around to different town clerk and city clerk's office in our area, and found a village clerk who was willing to issue a New York State marriage license with only my fiance's "Chinese National ID Card" and her Chinese passport as a second ID. We had to get her ID card translated into English, certifed and notarized for the town clerk, and we got the marriage license without problems.

 

Maybe the marriage laws are similar in your area, and if your SO has something like a "Chinese National ID Card" with him, you may want to call other municipalities in your area and see if they will accept that in lieu of a birth certificate. My wife's ID card had her Birthdate on it, and it was the size of a US drivers license.

 

good luck

[warpedbored]

I guess every state is different but we all we needed to get married was some ID. Bing's passport was sufficient. Once we were married we waited a few days for the license to be registered then went back and got a certified copy. We took that, her passport and I-94 to the SS office and applied for a SSN. They didn't ask for any other ID. Once we had the SSN we took that and her passport and our Marriage licence along with a piece of mail (the envelope her SSN came in) to the DMV and got her a state ID card. Then off to the bank where I put her on all my bank accounts. I don't recall needing her birth certificate for anything until we filed for AOS.

[nooneufo]

If I undersatand the rules at the Social security office, an Alien only needs to show 2 documents that show:

Age

Identity, and

U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status.

 

It says they will accept the passport for age proof, and the K1 visa should show alien status.

 

This is all we took to them, and it was no problem for us (Why we did this before getting married). Same experience too for getting marriage certificate, Passport alone was enough. No one has asked for birth certificate.

 

If your state won't accept a passport for ID for getting married, how about a neighboring state?

 

Can you go to your state office and get a state ID? Usually states will issue one, if you have a SS #, sometime without as well.

Can your XM get a drivers permit?, or does he have an IDP? Either of these would get you your two ID's.

 

For your stolen drivers license and SS card, would it not make sense just to get them in your name, then the moment after you change your name, apply for new ones? Meaning, wont they just give you replacements right away?

 

Hope you get your mail soon.

[jim_julian]

If there's no way of tracking the missing box so you know with some certianty that it will eventually get to you, I would start taking action now. The consequences of not being married when the 90 days are up are pretty grim.

 

As others have suggested, do some phone checks on alternative places to get married.

 

Getting this settled is more important than a job ... good luck!

[awch]

Thanks for the advice everyone... I think we will try the SSN office tomorrow without the birth certificate. Just now I was lying in bed, so angry with myself for not carrying those documents with us... I couldn't even sleep. I am worried a lot about not making the 90 day cut off though hopefully in retrospect the worry will prove needless.

 

That's a good idea, to try to get the marriage license somewhere else. I will look up the rules for Michigan. I don't understand the logic for the state of Illinois- if you don't have a US passport, ID card or driver's license then you must have 2 of other documents: birth certificate, baptismal records, foreign passport or consulate ID card. It frustrates me that they will accept bapstismal records but not the K-1 visa as a form of ID.

 

We also tried to get his state ID card but he needs his SSN card to get one, and it seems he can't get his SSN card without the birth certificate....

 

It's so frustrating- I guess we'll try for the SSN card tomorow but I don't have any hopes that it will work with the luck we've had so far.

 

Thanks again for the advice. If the box doesn't come by Tuesday then we are going to ask his mom to get another birth certificate and mail it to us express.

 

Oh, and I'm going to explain in my job interview tomorrow that I will need a day off or more to take care of my paperwork. I feel bad asking for time off when first starting a job... but hopefully I can convey the importance of it.

[frank1538]

You do not want to miss the 90 days. If all else fails, take a trip to another state where the marriage laws are less stringent and his passport is all that is needed as proof.

[Mick]

Really hope all this works out for you guys. It would be a real shame to have to file over again.

 

For what its worth, we have never had to show Li's birth certificate for anything, except when filing the AOS paper work. Find a state that will accept what you have and go, go, go. Like Don said, don't miss that 90 day window if at all possible. That would be a major headache.

 

Please keep us posted. Our prayers are with you.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

We are having major paperwork headaches. It's mostly my fault- stupid me put all of his visa papers, including his birth certificate, in the box to mail here- and it's still not here. It should be here by the 20th, but we're getting worried.

154532[/snapback]

In China they have the appropriate word for you

 

ShaNew!!!!!!

 

 

it's easy to start thinking that even the people the move the mail have the same sense of urgency that we do....

[awch]

Thanks for the support everyone. I guess I should have waited with my predictions of doom as today turned out to be a wonderful day.

 

First of all, I got hired into the job I wanted. Secondly, we went to the SSN office and my fiance was in the system! So his card will be mailed to him within 10 days. The clerk at the SSN office tried to phrophisize doom by saying at first that it could "take years" for him to be in the system but I knew that she was just trying to scare us. She did try to tell us we had to be married to get the SSN card but I think I impressed her with how much I knew about it- I told her I had done a lot of research and I was pretty sure we didn't have to be married for the card. In the end, everything worked out.

 

And then, when we got home- the boxes had arrived! YEAH! Birth certificate is here! Tomorrow we will go to get the marriage license and then I will take a day off next week to go to Justice of the Peace.

 

So everything looks like it's going to work out happily, though I'll keep my fingers crossed till everything is actually finished.....

 

Thanks again for all the support and advice... it feels great to have a happy ending.

[Dan R]

There's nothing like having a good day. It's always good to hear things went right for someone. Keep it coming

[tonado]

Amber,

 

I am happy that everything is working out. More work will come later. AOS and getting driver license for your honey.