Dyslexia

[Alfie]

Hi guys and girls,
I posted a thread under "legal information", asking for some advice, if anyone would know how to go about making a correction on our NSO marriage certificate. I'm still trying to work out what to do.

The mistake is that i put "English" instead of "British" for my nationality, and now of course it is likely to cause probs in our settlement visa application. (The CFO already refused to grant a CFO certificate bcos of this).
To change this, my wife has been told that a court application is required bcos it affects the nationality (unlike a simple name spellig or whatever). So she's been quoted by a lawyer $250 to process it.
It seems to me that they just want to cash in on my mild dyslexic disability with words. And there is part of me really doesn't want to let them get away with this!

Maybe there is someone on the Forum who could advise how we should go about this? Whether its poss to file a correction at NSO without a court application, or if it's neccesary to go via a court appearance then how would we do it DIY (without a lawyer). I have seen that peterdavid is a lawyer and knows some Phil Law, but he seems to not be active recently.

My wife is now upset because she is taking it that i don't really love her because i don't just send the money and do it. But to me it's like blackmail that they are doing here! It's just to change one word in 3 places on the document; a word that obviously means the same thing, it's just a mild dyslexic clumsiness with words that has led to this obvious mistake. Any fool can see what's behind the mistake, it doesn't require some judge to pour his heart out over it trying to decide if someone is trying to commit deceit!
And i'm suspicious that if i entertain blackmail once then it's likely that another thing will crop up further down the line. I don't like this!
Am i starting to take this into rant? Sorry, it really makes me angry

Alfie.

[mupsuit]

Has your wife been to City Hall where your Marriage Certificate was first issued - to ask about how to do this ??

I think this is where you need to start the process

[Alfie]

"Has your wife been to City Hall where your Marriage Certificate was first issued - to ask about how to do this ?? "


Yes, she has but i only know that she says they said it needs to be at court, but i don't know if i believe them, you know. These offices often get it wrong too. I'm guessing that maybe it needs to be at court to change the nationality from one to another, but this is not quite the same - both English and British are refering to the same thing, its just a dyslexic thing, a wrong word for the same reference; not two different nationalities...

[scotsfiancee]

Hello alfie, i called our city registrar to confirm about your marriage certificate, since your problem is your nationality (should be british). They said that you will need a lawyer to do with this, and it all depends on the lawyer how much they would charged you. Try to ask your wife maybe she knows some lawyer in there city. It is much bettter then. Where she from anyway?

[mupsuit]

Hello alfie, i called our city registrar to confirm about your marriage certificate, since your problem is your nationality (should be british). They said that you will need a lawyer to do with this, and it all depends on the lawyer how much they would charged you. Try to ask your wife maybe she knows some lawyer in there city. It is much bettter then. Where she from anyway?

The advice from City Hall (thanks Scots) is probably because (my guess) you will need to include a sworn affidavit as part of the correction process documentation (hence you need a lawyer)

Try and get all the details of what will be needed by City Hall, prepare as much of the requirement yourselves and thus reduce the amount of work the lawyer will need to do

I believe that once you completed the process at City Hall then NSO will accept the amendment without further requirements and you will only have to pay their official fees for the re-issue

My feeling that this is a complex process, not becasue of legal issues, simply the requirement to keep on top of the people who will process the matter and may well be worth the lawyers fee to save your dear wife the hassle of dealing with the 'civil servants' - but shop arround for the best price from several lawyers

Keep posting, as you can see there are always forum members like Scots, who will try to find answers

Good luck

[mupsuit]

A further suggestion - ask CFO if they will accept a sworn affidavit or some other legal paper from your lawyer to the effect that in this case the word English is synonymous with British

[KeithD]

A further suggestion - ask CFO if they will accept a sworn affidavit or some other legal paper from your lawyer to the effect that in this case the word English is synonymous with British

But is it? Remember the census.....we could be British, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, GooGoo....but not English

[Alfie]

Thanks people, I feel better to receive willingness to help from someone.

mupsuit, yes, i will try to find out what the local registrar is requiring exactly. And try to familiarise myself with some of the legal process so we can do what we can and so minimise the lawyer fees. My wife (who is from Dalaguete, Scotsfiancee - thanks for ringing up on our behalf, i appreciate it), i think is fed up to do more of the work herself now, because of other obstacles she dealt with (bless her!), and would prefer to just drop it all into the lawyer's lap. But maybe she will agree to do some more to save us some of the fees, if i plead to her abit...

...
I have to dash out, right now, i will add to this later,

thanks again for your support,
Alfie.

[Alfie]

Well, finally what happened was that UKVISAS got back to me saying that there wouldn't be a problem for our visa application. This is what they said:

"...That should not be a problem, as you have been asked to provide your Marriage Certificate as evidence you are legally married. Anyway, you have to produce your Passport or a certified copy, which shows you have British Citizenship..."

But still the Philippine DFA wouldn't accept her passport application because of this. So we ended up going to a lawyer after all. Although my wife found a less expensive one.

So, if anyone else makes a similar mistake on their supporting papers, you now know that our British Embassy, bless them, are damn well all right about it.
Thanks all you who contributed a helping hand on this!

[fred]

Alfie..
Im in total agreement with your anger and frustration in regards these stupid idiots that you are forced to deal with that sit on their backsides with nothing more than a spool of red tape to issue.
I was born in England and therefore I am English. Being British is purley incidental..
When I got married 20 years ago everything at the embassy was easy..
From memory all I had to do was post the banns on the embassy wall,wait 30 odd days and then pick up her idefinate stay stamped passport. End of.
Hope everthing works out for you without you being ripped off too much..
cheers..
Fred.

[Alfie]

Alfie..
Im in total agreement with your anger and frustration in regards these stupid idiots that you are forced to deal with that sit on their backsides with nothing more than a spool of red tape to issue.

Thanks for your Avatar Fred - it definately soothes my anger! Mesmerised Bliss!