Green card renewal denied for lack of Birth Certificate

[memy]

Help!
I have been a permanent resident for more than 20 years. This is my 2nd time renewal (20th year renewal). After waited for more than 6 months, I received a letter denied my renewal for lack of Birth Certificate. I am old and was born in a country where there was NO such thing as Birth Certificate when I was born more than half century ago. So what can I do now? Without an Act of God, there is no way I can obtain Birth Certificate. How can they deny my renewal for a document that was not required when they granted me Green Card more than 20 years ago and granted my first renewal more than 10 yrs ago?
Help!

[rayb]

Your report of a denial was probably only a "Request for Evidence," or "Intent to Deny." All you need is secondary proof of a birth from a government office in your original country, or affidavits from government officials explaining why such documents are not available.

--Ray B

Help!
I have been a permanent resident for more than 20 years. This is my 2nd time renewal (20th year renewal). After waited for more than 6 months, I received a letter denied my renewal for lack of Birth Certificate. I am old and was born in a country where there was NO such thing as Birth Certificate when I was born more than half century ago. So what can I do now? Without an Act of God, there is no way I can obtain Birth Certificate. How can they deny my renewal for a document that was not required when they granted me Green Card more than 20 years ago and granted my first renewal more than 10 yrs ago?
Help!

[memy]

Your report of a denial was probably only a "Request for Evidence," or "Intent to Deny." All you need is secondary proof of a birth from a government office in your original country, or affidavits from government officials explaining why such documents are not available.

--Ray B

What is "secondary proof of a birth"? Will Passport be sufficient?
I left that country more than 30 yrs ago. I don't know how to seek "affidavits from" corrupt/bureaucratic "government officials".
Why did INS ask me such affidavits after I have been Permanent Resident for over 20 years? Does not seem logic to me. In fact, I am not even required to renewal unless I will travel outside of U.S. So it's like that they give me this trouble, just to prevent me leaving the country. It makes no sense to me.

[rayb]

Secondary proof would be religious documents (baptism if Christian), school, medical records.

--Ray B

What is "secondary proof of a birth"? Will Passport be sufficient?
I left that country more than 30 yrs ago. I don't know how to seek "affidavits from" corrupt/bureaucratic "government officials".
Why did INS ask me such affidavits after I have been Permanent Resident for over 20 years? Does not seem logic to me. In fact, I am not even required to renewal unless I will travel outside of U.S. So it's like that they give me this trouble, just to prevent me leaving the country. It makes no sense to me.

[memy]

Secondary proof would be religious documents (baptism if Christian), school, medical records.

--Ray B

Of course, I would not have religious documents, not from a communist country. What school and medical records? How can they be more official or stronger evidence than Passport?

[rayb]

On the contrary, some of the best birth and other civil documents I have seen came from former communist countries: Ukraine, Russia, etc.

My suggestion that religious, school or medical records might be used was without any information from you about your former country.

A passport is not proof of birth, but secondary proof of one's citizenship. Presumably, to have been issued that passport at some time in the past, you had to provide proof of identity.

At the very least, you must respond to the Request for Evidence, however nonsensical it may seem, with a reasonable explanation for a requested document (birth cert copy) not being available.

You earlier posted that you received a "denial," when you must have first received a Request for Evidence, or "Intent to Deny." Exactly what did you receive, and have yu responded to it yet?

--Ray B

Of course, I would not have religious documents, not from a communist country. What school and medical records? How can they be more official or stronger evidence than Passport?

[memy]

Ray,
Thank you very much for your posts.
Yes, you are right. The letter is intent to deny. But it is the same thing to me since I do not see any possibility for me to get the documents that you described. Yes, I will respond. But what a difference will it make if those are only documents they want and I cannot produce.
I am so frustrated for this stupid thing. After left that country and living in this country legally for over 30 years (being Permanent Resident for over 20 years), now I am asked to get some documents from Bureaucrat of my birth communist non-Christian country. I know the Primary school I attended is no longer there. I'm getting all this trouble only because I did not get US citizenship 15 yrs ago when I became eligible. But I was told Permanent is Permanent. I do not have to get US citizenship. Just because my decision of not becoming an US citizen more than 15 yrs ago, I'm now in trouble for new documents that I don't have. I do not see it is fair. I am a Permanent Resident and I did not anything illegal and most likely I pay more tax every year than those who intend to deny my renewal and those who created this new rules to deny my renewal. Just not fair to me and not a good thing for this country.

[rayb]

Memy,

You're assuming a denial without having even responded to the request for evidence. You can respond with a logical explanation for the request being practically impossible to satisfy, but you should make some attempt to obtain affidavit(s) from relatives or family friends who know some of the circumstances of your birth.

I've never heard of this type evidence being requested after the submittal of an I-90. Do you have any idea why your I-90 seems to have been singled out for this special attention? My best guess is that your Biometrics resulted in a questionable match, possible with someone else using the same name, maybe even fraudulent use of your identify by someone else.

--Ray B

Ray,
Thank you very much for your posts.
Yes, you are right. The letter is intent to deny. But it is the same thing to me since I do not see any possibility for me to get the documents that you described. Yes, I will respond. But what a difference will it make if those are only documents they want and I cannot produce.
I am so frustrated for this stupid thing. After left that country and living in this country legally for over 30 years (being Permanent Resident for over 20 years), now I am asked to get some documents from Bureaucrat of my birth communist non-Christian country. I know the Primary school I attended is no longer there. I'm getting all this trouble only because I did not get US citizenship 15 yrs ago when I became eligible. But I was told Permanent is Permanent. I do not have to get US citizenship. Just because my decision of not becoming an US citizen more than 15 yrs ago, I'm now in trouble for new documents that I don't have. I do not see it is fair. I am a Permanent Resident and I did not anything illegal and most likely I pay more tax every year than those who intend to deny my renewal and those who created this new rules to deny my renewal. Just not fair to me and not a good thing for this country.

[memy]

Ray,
Glad to hear that this type info. is not typically required. I am shocked I am requested such evidence for my green card renewal. I have no idea why I'm single out. I am a model immigrant, never getting into any trouble (Growing up in a communist country taught me to be careful not to say/do anything that stands out, anything that does not conform to average). I have continuous employment and living at the same address (the same house) for last 19 years. Why this??? Why me???
I assumed the worst because I don't know what I can do and there is nothing I can do. I can see I will end up to hire some attorney to fight for me. It will end up costing me a lot of money for some dumb government officials' dumb decision.
Also, the letter does not provide any contact info., no phone number to call, no alternative. It just says after 87 days, my application will be denied if I can not produce the Birth Certificate. It did not even ask me for an explanation!
I will mail out my response tomorrow and wait for the worst.

[memy]

After sending my explanation for more than two months, I heard absolutely nothing. My temporary extension has expired. I cannot travel. This is so ridiculous. What can I do?

[memy]

35% Greencard Renewal was denied

"In the fiscal year 2013, according to USCIS, over 443,000 applications for green card renewal were received by USCIS and almost 289,000 were approved. That means that almost 35% of Form I-90 applications were denied." based on citizenpath dot com web site.

Are 35% of Greencard holders criminal? Cannot be.

INS colossal wastes Tax-payers money to deny so many legal permanent residents at the same time to allow illegal immigrant to stay. Something has gone very wrong.

Now my Greencard renewal is in never never land, after 7 months waiting, I cannot travel and can't do nothing about it. It's so sick.

[rayb]

You must request an I-551 annotation in your passport for an additional extension. Use the INFOPASS link to schedule an in-person appointment to get the annotation: https://infopass.uscis.gov/

--Ray B

After sending my explanation for more than two months, I heard absolutely nothing. My temporary extension has expired. I cannot travel. This is so ridiculous. What can I do?

[memy]

Passport annotated but still may be prevented from entering US

I got my passport annotated. But the lady who did it said that I may still be prevented from entering US if the decision on my Green Card renewal is negative before I am trying to re-enter. So in essence, I still cannot travel.

Why illegal immigrants are giving opportunity to stay, legal permanent resident is not allowed to stay. This is beyond any logic.

[ashdag]

Where did this finally land you

Did you get your green card renewed? Did USCIS finally respond to the renewal request?

I got my passport annotated. But the lady who did it said that I may still be prevented from entering US if the decision on my Green Card renewal is negative before I am trying to re-enter. So in essence, I still cannot travel.

Why illegal immigrants are giving opportunity to stay, legal permanent resident is not allowed to stay. This is beyond any logic.