losing faith at the NVC

[cdean]

I am starting to lose faith because of the NVC. The latest update is that they never received My original documents (!) OR they are not orgiginal enough. I have no idea what else to do as I sent my original marriage license and birth certificate with photocopies of all, notarized translations and the cover page they request.

Has anyone else received this message? That they still need original documents when you know that they received them? What did you do in that case?

Thanks,
Cecilia

[rayb]

Cecilia,

There are two things to consider when dealing with these issues from NVC:

1. Is there any chance that request from NVC crossed, in the mail, a submission you had made?
2. Your submitted documents must have all the indications of original handling by a government office. Even the best of photocopies won't work with the NVC, unless there is an obvious original government stamp, annotation, or raised seal.

I can advise about meeting the NVC requirements for documents from the U.S., the Philippines and Afghanistan. Most civil documents from Western European countries can be easily identified as certified or original. Apostille authentication of Eastern European documents seems to be a regular cottage industry (Ukraine and Russia, especially), and professional-looking apostille attachments will help you through the NVC quagmire.

--Ray B

I am starting to lose faith because of the NVC. The latest update is that they never received My original documents (!) OR they are not orgiginal enough. I have no idea what else to do as I sent my original marriage license and birth certificate with photocopies of all, notarized translations and the cover page they request.

Has anyone else received this message? That they still need original documents when you know that they received them? What did you do in that case?

Thanks,
Cecilia

[cdean]

losing faith at the NVC

The documents I sent are original documents from Norway. They have an official stamp with signatures and all that. The photocopies are just extra copies and the translations have all been verified and authenticated.

The NVC seems to have misplaced or not received our stuff that the ups says they have delivered. And the email says that what has been submitted is not original which I don't understand. I have no idea how much more original documents can be...

[rayb]

It is possible that by including photocopies, in addition to the originals, you confused the reviewers. There is no requirement, or no particular benefit in adding photocopies to the required "legal versions" needed for the NVC pocessing. The exception,however is for those consular posts that are now accepting "scanned" submittals, Mexico being one such country.

Get new certified versions and send again, but this time do not include additional copies.

--Ray B

The documents I sent are original documents from Norway. They have an official stamp with signatures and all that. The photocopies are just extra copies and the translations have all been verified and authenticated.

The NVC seems to have misplaced or not received our stuff that the ups says they have delivered. And the email says that what has been submitted is not original which I don't understand. I have no idea how much more original documents can be...

[cdean]

losing faith at the NVC

Actually it does state that the need an additional photocopy of the original documents. It says it in the instructions...

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what our lawyer comes up with, but I am starting to think that the NVC messed up and lost my papers somewhere.

[rayb]

The civil documents requirement varies by country of processing, so I can't speak for the Norway U.S. Consulate requirements. For Philippines, the NVC only wants a single certified copy of each document. For Mexico, it is a single scanned copy, with the original certified being hand-carried to the actual interview at Juarez or Mexico city.

If your instructions specified a photocopy, in addition to original certified copies, then it is likely that the NVC request crossed your submittal in the mail, or a specific document (or documents) wasn't viewed as meeting the requirement.

If your attorney hasn't dealt with immigration packages destined for Norway, his assessment of your current problem is probably not much better than your own interpretation of the correspondence from the NVC.

When I review paperwork that has been started by "immigration" attorneys for people with whom I work, everything starts out pretty well with the USCIS, but sometimes seems to lose the interest or experience of attorneys once past that step.

--Ray B

Actually it does state that the need an additional photocopy of the original documents. It says it in the instructions...

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what our lawyer comes up with, but I am starting to think that the NVC messed up and lost my papers somewhere.

[cdean]

losing faith at the NVC

Thanks Ray B, but our lawyer is still interested in out case and trying her best to figure out what it is the NVC needs.

Like I stated before. I sent everything they required it just took really long to go from NY when the package entered the US to the NVC. So they might not have seen the papers which is what we hope, but what I sent might not be what they want and that is just NOT what we want to hear nor anything I can do anything about. The papers they got is what I will get no matter what in Norway.

Just wondering if this has ever happened to anyone else or if the NVC has a bad rep for losing very important documents...

[rayb]

Anything is possible, and files get lost all the time by both the NVC and USCIS.

I've submitted lots of packages to the NVC, though, and my biggest problems has been overlapping of document receipt and NVC correspondence saying they haven't received the documents. Sometimes these apparent problems work themselves out without intervention by me. Other times, usually with sponsorship documents, I simply redo the submittal and I-864 and send new packages.

But when original civil documents are seem to be the problem, you have to first decide which of two problem below are at fault:

1. The NVC did not get your documents at all; or
2. The NVC did get your document and does not think they are original, certified versions.

--Ray B

Thanks Ray B, but our lawyer is still interested in out case and trying her best to figure out what it is the NVC needs.

Like I stated before. I sent everything they required it just took really long to go from NY when the package entered the US to the NVC. So they might not have seen the papers which is what we hope, but what I sent might not be what they want and that is just NOT what we want to hear nor anything I can do anything about. The papers they got is what I will get no matter what in Norway.

Just wondering if this has ever happened to anyone else or if the NVC has a bad rep for losing very important documents...