Marriage certificate - official or ceremonial?

[atw3775]

Hi all,

My application for a green card through marriage is now at an incredibly frustrating standstill. We got married in another state, and after ordering an official marriage certificate, USPS has lost it or misplaced it. The worst run business I've ever encountered (they lost/misplaced my USCIS package containing my EAD card when I was starting my OPT if you can believe). I've spent hours on the phone, in the local office where it's apparently lost, filing reports etc.

My question is am I able to file the ceremonial certificate as part of the application to move things forward and perhaps show them the official copy when we get the interview in 6 months, or is this going to cause further delays and be problematic to the application? I can't seem to find a concrete answer to that question on the web.

Thanks in advance!

[hemocue]

It is whole lot better if you get a copy of the official certificate. However, the instruction of I-485 does say that you can submit an unofficial copy of anything with appropriate explanation.
The "explanation" is tricky as whether USCIS accept it or not depends on the immigration officer. So make every effort to get an official copy.

[inadmissible]

If you don't furnish a marriage certificate with your adjustment application, your application will be delayed while they issue a request for evidence, and while they process your response