The United States is a nation made up of people from different backgrounds. According to the Department of Homeland Security and State Department, 2.6 million new authorized immigrants arrived in the United States in 2022. The reasons for immigrating to the United States vary, but one agency handles immigration matters, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). In this article, we will discuss what the USCIS does and how translation is used in immigration processes.
The USCIS is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. Some of the processes it handles include: citizenship, immigration and employment eligibility. They have field offices in different cities where applicants can provide biometrics, be interviewed for various application types (asylum, green card, citizenship interviews), among other processes.
Documents in a foreign language must be translated to English and certified in order to submit to the USCIS. Each translation must be accompanied by a certification that certifies that the translation is accurate and complete. According to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations on Aliens and Nationality 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.
The most commonly requested documents for immigration are birth certificate translations, marriage certificate translations, divorce certificate translations, and translations of diplomas and credentials. If you need help translating your documents for the USCIS, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.