Adjustment of Status Interview Documents - Originals or Copies

juakali

Registered Users (C)
I successful filed for a green card based on family Category F4 (Sibling to Sibling). Sent it all required documents. I received my notice for the Adjust of Status interview which will be in the next 30 days. It looks like much of the supporting evidence is stuff I already submitted. I have two questions.

1) Interview notice asks me to bring "Your petitioners Birth Certificate and your petitioners evidence of United States Citizenship of Lawful Permanent Resident Status" For me this translates as my brothers birth and naturalization certificate. I have these copies but I can only get access to my brothers original naturalization certificate. Over the years he misplaced his original birth certificate but does have copies. If I take copies, will this be a problem? I find it odd that they would want me to go with someone else's original naturalization certificate and birth certificates.

2) This process has taken over 12 years. Just before I applied 2 years ago they retrogressed the dates and I was able to recently. My question is, occasionally I hear of someone's Green Card being backdated, is this possible for me, is there any I need to say during the interview to make this a possibility. I would like to apply for citizenship as soon as I can.
 
Over the years he misplaced his original birth certificate but does have copies. If I take copies, will this be a problem?
Yes, it could be a big problem. Find a way to get another birth certificate issued from his country's government. Relatives in that country or the country's embassy in the US may be able to help.

If you don't have the same mother, additional documents may be required to prove the sibling relationship (if that is your situation, I'll explain).

I find it odd that they would want me to go with someone else's original naturalization certificate and birth certificates.
At the interview they may ask for the originals of any official documents that were previously submitted during the process. That includes your parents' marriage certificate, if they were married.

2) This process has taken over 12 years. Just before I applied 2 years ago they retrogressed the dates and I was able to recently. My question is, occasionally I hear of someone's Green Card being backdated, is this possible for me, is there any I need to say during the interview to make this a possibility. I would like to apply for citizenship as soon as I can.
No backdating available for you. The backdating is only for asylees, whose cards are backdated by a year because they're blocked from applying for a green card during their first year of asylum status.
 
Yes, it could be a big problem. Find a way to get another birth certificate issued from his country's government. Relatives in that country or the country's embassy in the US may be able to help.

If you don't have the same mother, additional documents may be required to prove the sibling relationship (if that is your situation, I'll explain).


At the interview they may ask for the originals of any official documents that were previously submitted during the process. That includes your parents' marriage certificate, if they were married.


No backdating available for you. The backdating is only for asylees, whose cards are backdated by a year because they're blocked from applying for a green card during their first year of asylum status.

Thanks for the reply.

I don't have mother and fathers marriage certificate but we do have the same mother and father. Our mother already has a green card and when we applied the the forms ask to list all children so if they are able to punch in her information that should check out. Unfortunately, it will be next to impossible to get another birth certificate for my brother in such a short period of time, things just take too long at home. I will carry old photographs of us as kids/babies some also include our parents and other siblins. I will also take a copy of a newspaper obituary that shows we are brothers. What else can I do?
 
If your brother's birth certificate was provided during his green card process, they might be able to retrieve it from the file instead of forcing you to have it.

But you can't count on that. They may put your case on hold until you can provide his birth certificate, so initiate the process for a new birth certificate now.

Photographs of you as babies won't help; the people in the baby pictures could be anybody. But evidence of growing up together may be useful, like school records showing that you went to the same school and lived at the same address.
 
Hi Juakali! Thanks again for your very valuable info. I did my interview two days ago and it went well. But at the end the interview office told me I still need to wait for the approval of my I-130, which was approved already. I didn't dare to ask her why. And there is no update since then. May I ask if you got approved on spot and how long you finally received your green card since your interview?
 
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