The immigration process is highly complicated, even for those with experience. One of the biggest challenges, aside from financial strain and duration, is obtaining and translating all necessary documents. While this can be a simpler process for some and require fewer documents, it can just as easily be complicated for others with hundreds of pages of supporting documentation. Immigration document translation requires a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. Even a misspelling of a name can create hassles during the review process and unnecessary headaches trying to fix it. Knowing that a translation partner exists—that can translate documents for you accurately and efficiently—can help remove at least one layer of negotiation associated with the immigration process.
14 Common Immigration Documents That Require Translation
The application process for immigration requires supporting evidence relating to the type of visa. The following documents are fourteen of the most common projects that need translation before submission:
- Passport translation
- Foreign language diploma translation
- Birth certificate translation
- Marriage certificate translation
- Divorce decree translation
- Criminal record translation
- Published works translation
- School transcripts translation
- Deed translation
- Work history translation
- Tax return translation
- Bank statement translation
- Reference letter translation
- Drivers license translation
Obtaining all necessary documentation can be challenging enough without the added stress of finding someone reliable to translate them. Knowing which documents are needed for your specific application type will help assure you have all the supporting evidence before tackling translation.
Know Which Documents You Need Translated
The first step in any immigration document translation undertaking is to know which documents are needed for your application process. Your list of necessary supporting evidence will depend on the type of immigration visa. The main types of immigration paths are:
- Family-based: These are issued to family members of current U.S. citizens and teen cardholders, including spouses, children, siblings, parents, and widows/widowers.
- Employment-based: These are issued in various categories depending on your skills through extraordinary abilities or specialized training. It can also be issued due to investing a significant amount of money in creating jobs in American communities.
- Diversity lottery-based: These are issued by a random selection of eligible entries of individuals who live in countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
- Humanitarian-based: These are issued to refugees or asylum seekers and victims of abuse, trafficking, and crime.
There are many other types of immigration paths, and visas and each of these requires its own translated supporting documentation. Working with an immigration lawyer or researching resources provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can help you get on the right track with obtaining your immigration documents for translation.
Is Certified Immigration Document Translation Necessary?
The USCIS requires that all accompanying translated documents be certified by the translator as complete and accurate. The translator must also be certified as competent to translate from a foreign language to English. Submitting your documents without certified translation can create expensive delays requiring you to submit more evidence or even result in a rejected application.
Do You Need an Immigration Translation Partner?
While it is generally allowed for you or a family member to certify that you are competent in both languages and translate your documents, it may not be up to the standards of the USCIS reviewers. Partnering with a translation service that’s familiar with the formatting standards and accuracy expectations of the USCIS can help prevent further delays.
A translation partner will also make quick adjustments if necessary, along with supported translation reasoning if you’re unsure why a document was translated in a certain way. Unlike a transactional translation service, a translation management partner provides consistent translation across all documents.
For instance, when applying for an employment-based visa, the job title “software engineer” can be translated several ways, including “coder,” “systems developer,” etc. If the title isn’t translated consistently, it can easily confuse reviewers and become very inconvenient to explain. Translation partners are well equipped to handle jobs with varying levels of complexity. The following shows the primary four levels of difficulty for immigration document translation projects:
Our Powerful and Innovative Translation Management System
The Bureau Works translation management system is designed to streamline complex, multilingual projects, making it especially effective for handling diverse language pairs. With an intuitive interface and advanced automation, it optimizes workflows for teams managing high volumes of content across multiple languages, and subject matter domains. The platform’s centralized approach allows for seamless tracking, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and efficiency from start to finish.
Clients retain control over project timelines and resources, saving time and reducing costs. With the Bureau Works translation management platform, managing multilingual content becomes an integrated, straightforward experience, no matter how many languages are involved.
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