video translation now and tomorrow
Video Translation Services for Today and Tomorrow
August 4, 2020
video translations
Video Translation Tips and Best Practices
August 18, 2020

USCIS Certified Translation a Critical Service

USCIS certified translation

Last updated on June 13th, 2023 at 07:55 pm

USCIS certified translation services

Immigration is a life-changing process that can be intimidating. The process is packed with documentation requirements and deadlines, and one missed step or error could create a major setback and delay the immigration process.

At our translation company, we are contacted daily by individuals who are either helping close friends & family navigate the immigration process or are embarking on the journey themselves. What we provide for these individuals are certified translations, a type of document that is required by USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) to support any application, petition, or request filed with their agency when there are foreign documents involved.

What are USCIS’ translation requirements?

Anyone who plans on immigrating, seeking employment, or studying in the U.S., will need to file the right forms and submit the appropriate documentation. All information provided must be complete and accurate to be accepted. This applies to translations of official documents required by USCIS.

The Code of Federal Regulations indicates the following in regard to the handling of foreign-language documentation for USCIS:

“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.”(Source)

Whether you are filing an application for naturalization, a travel document, or petition for nonimmigrant workers, you’ll need to comply with the USCIS translation requirement and obtain certified translations into English for any document that’s in a foreign language.

If you’re preparing to file a transaction with USCIS and believe you may need a certified translation, we hope this blog can help you understand how we can help you meet the USCIS certified translation requirements to ensure success.

Which documents often require a certified translation for USCIS?

Anytime you file an application, you will be asked to submit numerous official document translations that are personal in nature. These include but are not limited to:

  • Birth certificates
  • Marriage certificates
  • Death certificates
  • Adoption decrees
  • Transcripts
  • Diplomas
  • Medical records
  • Passports
  • Bank statements

All non-English documents that come from foreign high schools, financial institutions, or governments, must come accompanied with a certified translation.

The Certified Translation Process- Simple and Straightforward

First things first – look for a qualified, experienced USCIS translation services company or provider. The provider you choose should have the resources and track record you can rely on to ensure your certified document translations will be accepted by USCIS.

It is never worth the risk to leave the quality of your personal document translation to chance by sending it to a friend, relative, or anyone who happens to be bilingual. Moreover, these translations should be performed by an impartial professional translator who can produce a genuine, word for word translation of the document with no omissions or additions.

One major advantage of using a professional translation services company for your certified translations is that all translations are placed in the hands of skilled, professional translators who specialize in document translations. With their help, you can be certain that the translation of your official documents will be accurate and consistent. Your documents would be kept under strict confidentiality and handled with care.

Next- you’ll need to provide the translation company with a clear copy of the documents that need translation. This may be an obvious step, but the quality of the copy you supply will be critical to helping the translator render a complete and accurate translation. In particular, many old documents that are handwritten present challenges; you’ll need to be sure all names and important dates are legible.

All illegible portions of the copy will be indicated in the translation as such, for example, seals, signatures, stamps etc. Nevertheless, every part of the document has to be present in the certified translation when filing an application with USCIS. We highly recommend obtaining the clearest copies possible of your documents so that all vital information is included in the translated document.

During the translation process, the translator renders a word for word translation of the copy while retaining the format of the original document. All dates are converted into the standard format used in the U.S. If the document is written in the Roman alphabet, no changes on names or spellings can be included since this document is going to be certified as identical to the original received. If the document is in the Cyrillic alphabet, Arabic or Far East languages, spellings can be modified if needed, Mohamed instead of Muhammed, but not Mohamed for Mustapha. Often, official documents have several pages such as an apostille coming from the other country- all the parts of the document would need to be translated.

Once the translation is completed, a draft is sent to you for your review – primarily, as an additional step in the quality assurance process for you to see what the translation looks like prior to certification.

Finally, the translation is certified with the attachment of a certification page to a printout of the translation and copy of the original document.

In compliance with USCIS translation requirements, the certification page contains an affidavit certifying that the translation is a true, accurate and faithful representation of a copy of the original that was submitted, to the best of the translator’s training and ability, who is fluent in the language and qualified to translate. Our translation company’s certification pages are complete with our corporate seal, corporate address and contact information, and signed by a representative within our company.

USCIS Certified Translation Services You Can Count On

The process of immigration is a complex one, and our goal is to help lessen the stress by providing certified English translations for USCIS that have a guaranteed acceptance as part of your application. We take your request as seriously as if it were our own, and we’ll make sure your essential documents are handled with the confidentiality and professionalism it deserves. Be sure to determine well ahead of time which documents you need to submit in your application and contact us right away if you have foreign documents that require certified translation for USCIS.

Flora Yu
Flora Yu
Flora was born and raised in New York to parents from Hong Kong and Taiwan. She has a degree in Accounting. She is fluent in Mandarin, and contributes a unique perspective as someone who was raised in 2 different cultures. She finds humor and opportunities to learn as she constantly searches for the balance between the East and West.