In this situation, submit a statement from the appropriate civil authority certifying that the document or documents are not available. You must also submit secondary evidence, which may include one or more of the following records listed below.

A. Religious record: A copy of a document bearing the seal of the religious organization showing that the baptism, dedication, or comparable rite occurred within two months after birth, and showing the date and place of the child’s birth, date of the religious ceremony, and the names of the child’s parents.

B. School record: A letter from the authority (preferably the first school attended) showing the date of admission to the school, the child’s date of birth or age at that time, place of birth, and names of the parents.

C. Census record: State or Federal census records showing the names, place of birth, date of birth, or the age of the person listed.

D. If records like those described above are not available, then you may submit two or more written statements from individuals who were living at the time and who have personal knowledge of the event you are trying to prove, such as the date and place of birth, marriage, or death. The individuals making the written statements do not have to be U.S. citizens. Each written statement must contain the following information regarding the individual making the written statement: his or her full name, address, date and place of birth, full information concerning the event, and complete details explaining how the individual acquired personal knowledge of the event.

Finally, each individual’s written statement must include the following declaration, “I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on 2023, [signature].”

E. For parent-child relationships only: If other forms of evidence have proven inconclusive, the petitioner
may submit on a voluntary basis other evidence of a birth parent and birth child relationship to include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing. DNA test results will only be accepted by USCIS from parentage-testing laboratories accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). A list of laboratories can be viewed at www.aabb.org/sa/facilities/Pages/RTestAccrFac.aspx.

If you have been married less than two years on the date your spouse has obtained permanent resident status, USCIS will grant your spouse conditional permanent resident status for two years under INA section 216. USCIS then requires both you and your spouse to file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, during the 90-day period immediately before your spouse’s conditional permanent resident status expires.

Conditional permanent residents have the same rights, privileges, responsibilities, and duties as all other lawful permanent residents. A conditional permanent resident is not limited in his or her right to apply for naturalization, file petitions on behalf of qualifying relatives, or reside permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with U.S. immigration laws.

NOTE: If your spouse fails to timely file Form I-751 to remove the conditional basis of his or her spouse’s permanent resident status, USCIS will terminate his or her permanent resident status and begin removal proceedings.