How to Use Document Translation as Part of Your USCIS Immigration Process

If there’s one thing the USCIS immigration process is known for, it’s how complicated immigration law can be. If you fail to follow USCIS regulations for your paperwork, getting even one item wrong, that can invalidate the whole process and lead to delays in your immigration. One of those requirements is that any required documents need to be translated into English using certified legal translation services. As such, we’ve taken a look at how to find document translation services that allow you to navigate USCIS’s legal services with a little more peace of mind.

What Are Document Translation for USCIS Immigration?

Immigration process regulations are introduced and changed fairly regularly. This is one of the elements that make the system so complicated to navigate. If you don’t follow all of the regulations and complete the paperwork properly, immigration legal services may reject your application.

One of the pickiest parts of the process is that the USCIS absolutely requires that any document needed for immigration that is in another language receive a certified translation into English. Certified translation means that the translated document comes with another document stating that the translation is accurate and complete. As it makes clear on the blog of translation agency Tombides, this is particularly important given the role of USCIS translation in enabling people to work, study and reside in the US. That’s why you should never try to translate the document yourself if you can’t do it to professional-level quality. Certified translation assures that nothing was lost in translation and that personal information is not misrepresented.

At the US Department of State’s website, one of the requirements pertaining to the paperwork of the naturalization of foreign-born spouses is: “3) Translations. Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.”

As you can see, certified document translation services are an absolute must for navigating these legal services. The type of documents needed are those that cover the required background information needed by the USCIS. These types of documents often include:

• Birth certificates
• Passports
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce certificates
• Affidavits
• Transcripts

Those translated documents must have all the text of the original document, faithfully persevered in meaning. They must also be accompanied by a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy. Many translation agencies also guarantee USCIS acceptance, often listing their acceptance rate at 100%.

Why You Should Use Legal Translation Services

Why is legal translation important? Looking for a translator or agency that specializes in legal translation means that the translator focuses on legal documents. They know how to make sure the forms meet formatting guidelines. They also have industry knowledge on how legal terminology translates and reads between languages. However, that’s not all…

What makes legal translation different? A good legal translator also knows the rules and regulations in the regions for which they translate. They know how certain legal services terminology changes depending on the local regulations and culture. As it pertains to immigration law, for instance, they know which forms are required where, which terminology applies to different regions/departments, and how applications should look.

Did you know that every year more than one million immigrants arrive in the US? Given this vast number of people, many of whom will be applying to USCIS, the system doesn’t have time to spare on incomplete or mistranslated applications.

In 2018, for example, 1,096,611 people were granted lawful permanent residents in the US. With so many immigrants coming into the country, a rejected application could mean a major delay. In short, if you want your immigration paperwork to stand a better chance of being accepted the first time, look into legal translation services and check that you are using certified translation.

The USCIS Legal Translation Process

Working through top legal translation services might actually be the easiest part of navigating the immigration process. You simply start by submitting the paperwork to document translation services online, who can then quote you a price for the translation. The agency might ask for contact or other personal information. You tell the translation agency which languages you need translated then submit your order. Simple.

What also makes the USCIS legal translation process much easier is that the whole goal is to keep the information exactly the same between the two languages. With other types of translation, you have to worry about keeping tone, intent and core messaging the same, while making sure you don’t culturally offend anyone in the new region. The paperwork in the immigration process simply has to make sure all details are kept accurate, so that no one’s personal information is misrepresented. That means you often just submit the documents, with little of any sort of creative input into the translation process required.

Once the process is complete, you get the translated document and the Certificate of Translation, often both through email and with hard copies in the mail. Many services have a 24-hour turnaround time. However, be sure to check with any translation agency that you plan to work with on how long it will take so you can keep the whole process organized.