Has anyone had experience with including non-accompanying children in an application where the father (the applicant) is not listed on the Birth Certificate? My husband-to-be was told that he might be the father of a child a few years back, and that he is one of three possible fathers. The mother refuses DNA testing and has not listed a father on the Birth Certificate. My hubby seems to think that the child could be his, as he is starting to see a family resemblance as the child gets older. He can't afford DNA testing, but we are worried that once this woman realizes that she stands to make some money when my husband immigrates and gets a better paying job, she may try to declare him as the father by adding him to the birth certificate (apparently a father can be named on a birth certificate without signing it himself in his country). If this happens while the application is in process, we are worried that it could delay the application process.
I guess my question is - would it be better to declare the child in the application without being on the birth certificate and if DNA testing shows he is not the father, or if another man gets named on the birth certificate while our application is in process, request to have the child removed from the application? Or is it better to not include the child since there is no documentation or proof of parentage at the time of application? It's hard to say that this time whether or not she would consent to the medical evaluation or obtaining a passport for the child anyway, but if we have to add the child later, it might raise some flags with the application.
