Five Common Mistakes in U.S. Immigration Applications

Avoid mistakes in translation of your documents for U.S. Immigration

Avoid the following common mistakes in submitting your documents for smooth application process.

Mistake # 1: Submitting your documents from your country without “certified” English translation

 Many visa applicants fill out the immigration documents as required however they assume that the U.S. Immigration (USCIS) already knows about the birth certificates, marriage licenses, and other documents. Yes, the U.S. Immigration offices are all familiar with such documents that they receive hundreds of them every single day. But they are not supposed to translate your documents.

 Some immigration applicants do their own translation by themselves or with the help of another person and submit the translation with their application forms. Then, their application is rejected. You need to have such documents translated and certified by a competent translator. Your translation is not accepted even if it is 100 percent accurate.

 Here’s the translation requirement as stated at the  USCIS website:

 “Documents Not in English:

All documents that are in a language other than English must be submitted with a translation. The person translating the document must certify that the translation is complete and accurate and that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.”

The translation agency or the translator who translated your documents must attach “Certification by Translator” document to meet the USCIS requirement. This certification is stated on corporate letterhead carrying the full legal name, address, telephone and fax numbers, signature of the translator or the person authorized to sign such certification.

 Mistake # 2: Misspelling of first or last name, wrong date of birth, different information on different documents

 The names, dates, and the numbers in non-Roman or non-Latin scripts may result in different translation. One name in a non-Roman language, let’s say, in Japanese, Russian, or Arabic may have different spellings in English. There is a problem if your first or family name is different in your passport and in translation of your birth certificate or marriage license. This does not mean that you should try to force the professional translator to translate your names as they appear in your passport. Remember: professional translation is word-by-word, without any addition, deletion, or interpretation. So, communicate with the translator during the very first translation to make sure that all of your documents are translated in similar manner.

 Mistake # 3: Taking bad advice

Many immigrants arrive in the United States with little money and English is not their native language. They try to get some information from their friends rather than consulting an immigration lawyer or reading books or information on the web about immigration. They may get a bad advice from their friends who have made their applications years ago. While their friends have good intentions to help, the information they give may not be updated information as the immigration laws and regulations may have changed since then. Please also keep in mind that every person’s memory has limits. Your friend may not remember each detail after so many years. Get the firsthand information from the U.S. Immigration offices, read books on immigration, and finally consult an immigration lawyer, if needed. 

Mistake # 4: Poor documentation

 Complete your original documents that you need for your immigration visa application well in advance. Make sure that you have all the documents and supporting information.

Do not mail the originals of your documents to anybody, including the translation agencies and immigration lawyers. Just think about what you will do if the originals are lost in the mail. Keep one copy of every document that you send to the U.S. Immigration or your immigration lawyer, if you have one. Use “Certified Mail” for all documents that you send by mail. Keep your receipts with the copies of your documents.

 Mistake # 5: Quitting easily

 You may face problems in trying to get temporary and permanent visa to stay and work in the United States. You may falsely believe there is nothing to be done when you are told that your application has been rejected. Then, in desperation, you fail to pursue all the options available for you.

 There are remedies if you stayed for a period longer than you are allowed or violated immigration law without knowing the requirements well or your action was based on bad advice. You may need to consult an immigration lawyer to know all of your rights. Some states such a California allowing immigration consultants to help applicants.

 The worst mistake an immigrant can make is telling a lie to an immigration officer or presenting wrong information to the U.S. Immigration office. There is no remedy to such situation. Tell the truth and submit the accurate information. Then, deal with your problem as the law allows. There will be a way to go through the immigration process if you feel that you have a good legitimate reason to stay and work in the United States. Remember: this is a land of opportunities and the U.S. government officials are there to help you in processing your application.

 About the Author: John A. Anderson is the manager for Online Language Translators, a subsidiary of ACR Systems Inc., founded in 1982. Visit http://www.online-languagetranslators.com for his articles on U.S. Immigration and language translation subjects.

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