When someone applies for immigration to the U.S., marriage green card, DACA renewal, citizenship by naturalization, or another status, he/she requires by law to submit a list of documents for the confirmation of eligibility against the category he/she is applying for. These required documents should be in a language other than English. For that, applicants are lawfully obligated to submit such documents with a translated copy at the USCIS forum.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a sworn statement form provided by a certified translator. It is to create a certified English translation of the applicant's official documents from their native language. For example, if a marriage certificate is provided in Spanish, then the applicant has to submit the Spanish version of the document along with a certified English translation of that certificate to the USCIS forum. It's a mandatory requirement by the US Code of Federal Regulations (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) for immigration purposes. As per the Code of Federal Regulations 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3):
"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."
Documents that need to be translated include passports, academic transcripts, birth and death certificates, foreign residency cards, all USCIS list-A, list-B and list-C documents, marriage and divorce certificates, or any other document that supports the USCIS form, required to be submitted with a certified English translation. Although, the US authorities don't bind applicants when it comes to the source of document's translation; however, if the unnecessary delays are to be avoided, it is highly recommended to contact professional translation service providers who are better aware, more experienced, and well familiar with formatting and official requirements of the USCIS. It is because, if the immigration officer finds any single document that does not match the USCIS standards, he/she could ask the applicant to resubmit a new translated version of the document. It will cost time and energy of the applicant, other than the charges one has to pay as the application processing fee.
Those applicants who are applying for immigration outside the United States have to submit their documents with the US counselor and their application will be checked by USCIS first. If the paperwork is as per the requirements of the USCIS, then it will be transferred to the U.S. Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC). After necessary confirmation, the US NVC will move the application to the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate. So, to check the status of an application, one needs to have the receipt number of the application. The applicant could check it online through USCIS online status checking tools or by calling at USCIS National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283.
The format of the USCIS document and certified translator's statement is very important since any negligence could get the applicant into trouble. It could increase the processing time and cause delays. In addition, online automated translation services such as Google Translate are not acceptable at the USCIS platform. The reason is, certified documents can only be submitted by certified translators along with their name, signature, address, and date of certification with a statement of accuracy and fluency for the purpose of counter checking and authorization. The translator's certification should be like the sample below:
"I, (ABC), certify that I am fluent (conversant) in English and (Spanish) and that the document provided is an accurate translation of the original document entitled (XYZ Statement).
Signed:
Dated:
Address:"
Papers that are to be submitted at the USCIS platform include an original version of the document, an exact English-translated version of the original document, and a translator's certification. When submitting the certified translation, it is suggested to submit a longer version of the original document since the immigration officer is going to counter-check it with the applicant's home country. So, a detailed version will help remove the barriers of information gaps. Immigration application is already a time taking process, so one should remove anything that can cause potential delays. One of the potential factors that could cause a delay is a handwritten translation of the document or translator's certification. The legibility of the document is very important and for that, it is suggested to submit a typed or printed form of documents.
Applicants should submit the correct and well-checked version of their documents the first time to get the applications successfully processed in the due period. Professional translators such as The Spanish Group LLC is a renowned name in the field of certified translation service providers. The Spanish Group is a member of the American Translator's Association. With years of experience and excellence in the field of official translation, the company provides all sorts of certified translation ranges from immigration documents, business documents & manuals, legal translation, foreign credentials evaluation and translation, academic transcripts, etc. To sum up, for a successful proceeding of an immigration application, one should submit a certified English translation of documents through experienced and certified professionals with the USCIS, as not only will it save time and money, but also energy and effort.