Location: California.
Hi I’m 18. My parents never registered my birth because they had me at home with a midwife and were stupid. I’ve spent literally the last year and a half filling out the application for a delayed birth certificate (my midwife lives across the country and it was hell getting her to sign it) and scraping together evidence of me being born. But I literally barely exist on paper until like 7 years old. My parents put my in a preschool that has no records from that far back, and then homeschooled me for a bit until I was put in second grade public school. I sent them a certified and sealed copy of my enrollment form from my school district, and that was the only solid piece of early life evidence I have that dates older than five years. i dont have hospital recods or religious records. I don’t even have immunization records because they’re fucking antivaxers too. I don’t have anything else.
It’s been 12 weeks, the full processing time, and they still won’t give me a birth certificate. I’ve been having more and more panic attacks about my future and now that I find out today they won’t give me my birth certificate I feel hopeless. I don’t have any government ID, I’ve applied for my passport using their alternative citizenship evidence option but now I’m almost certain they’ll reject me too now. I don’t have a SSN. I don’t think my parents ever even claimed me on their taxes. I literally have nothing to prove my citizenship and I’m so scared and I’ve been scared all year.
Please if anyone else went through this help me because I’m literally all alone my mom won’t take it seriously and I can’t do anything by myself without an ID. I’m in community college and they’ve even suspended my ability to sign up for classes because I can’t give them a government ID to solve a minor issue.
Comments
What was the reason they have for not giving you one?
this is scary and not your fault. try reaching out to legal aid or an immigration attorney even though you’re a citizen. also see if your county vital records office or your college’s student services can help. you deserve real support for this.
Did the letter you were sent give you any specifics?
One option is reaching out to your state assembly member (not Congress — state assembly) and see if their office can assist.
Do you have an affidavit from the midwife? I agree with u/UsuallySunny to contact your state assembly member, but you should also chase down an affidavits from the midwife, as it reduces the documentary evidence requirement. Bonus if you have pictures from your birth with your parents and/or the midwife, double bonus if they were on a digital camera and the files contain EXIF data.
The midwife’s practice might also have documentary evidence, such as payment info that includes either your name or your parent’s name.
If you are physically near the state agency that is handling this, I would make an appointment to go in and meet with a human. You will need to ultimately meet with someone supervisory who has the authority to help you. Most agencies have at least one person who has been there forever, knows all the informal ways to get things done, has a caring heart and will be willing to help you. You have to just keep being persistent until you finally talk to this person.
If that gets you nowhere, you can always take it to the courts, seeking a court order compelling the state to issue you a birth certificate. Immediately look into your appeal options if they deny you the birth certificate at the state level. Make sure you know exactly what to do and be SURE you don’t miss any deadlines. At some point, you will need a lawyer. I wouldn’t get an immigration attorney, though. Your case does not present an immigration question. Having a known immigration attorney arguing your case sends the wrong message.
Good luck!