Families going through the immigration process understand that it takes time. A lot of time. Once clients call us to complete DNA tests, they are usually very close to being reunited with family members. Recently, many U.S. Embassies overseas have been changing guidelines and creating a delay in the DNA test.

In order to make sure your DNA test is being handled quickly and properly, please visit www.usembassy.gov. Click on the embassy that you are going through. Then type “DNA” into the search box.

Once you do that you should see specific instructions for completing DNA testing in your country. Your Boston Paternity case manager will work with you to make sure everything moves along as smoothly as possible.

If your DNA test is being requested by USCIS there may be different rules, such as where the beneficiary’s sample will be collected. Again, your case manager will work with you to follow the USCIS guidelines so Immigration will accept your results.

You can trust Boston Paternity to be up to date on the newest Embassy and USCIS rules and regulations regarding immigration DNA testing.

The large majority of our DNA testing clients are immigrant families. They call us because they want to prove relationships with family members who live overseas. DNA testing is the most accurate way to prove the relationship.

Our clients petition relatives with U.S. Immigration and wait long periods of time before getting a response. Many try to go it alone through the process, without the help of a qualified attorney. I highly recommend against this.

Every immigration case is unique and requires special care. It’s important you have quality representation to see you through the process. Lots of immigration attorneys are going online and gaining social media presence. Many offer complimentary Q & A guides on their blogs and websites.

One that recently caught my eye is the Immigration Answer Man on Facebook. Ari is an attorney at Siskind Susser, PC. He answers frequently asked questions on his immigration blog.

Boston Paternity is happy to provide immigration DNA testing services to clients. We are not able to provide legal assistance or make any recommendations regarding your immigration status. I highly recommend meeting with a qualified attorney like the Immigration Answer Man.

The USCIS has decided to change procedures in many of the foreign countries who suggest DNA testing for family based immigration cases.

In the past, U.S. DNA labs have sent testing supplies to physicians, who are authorized by the U.S. Embassy to perform DNA collections. In a slow moving process, U.S. Embassies across the globe are beginning to perform DNA collections at the Embassy itself, essentially cutting the physicians out of the loop.

This has caused significant delays in the DNA testing process for many families trying to immigrate to the U.S. We’ve noticed about 3 month delays with most countries making the transition. In addition, U.S. Embassies are not as equipped for DNA testing as the physicians.

For example, the Clinica Abreu, an authorized collection facility in the Dominican Rebublic, could handle more than 25 DNA cases each day. Now that testing has moved to the Embassy, DNA test appointments are limited to 10 cases.

The purpose of this change is to prevent any potential fraud. Although this may be effective at preventing this fraud, it is also creating a large time delay for many families who have been waiting years to see their loved ones.

View the immigration DNA testing procedures.

Reuters reported yesterday that the U.S. will implement strict DNA Testing guidelines for Guatemala Adoption cases, due to an increase in child trafficking. In the past, Guatemala has been a huge source of child adoptions by U.S. citizens. More recently, adoptions have been ceased because of child trafficking and fraud. DNA testing guidelines will be a large step in curtailing this problem.

According to adoption.com, DNA testing must be completed prior to adoption approval by a company authorized by the U.S. A maternity test will be completed between the mother and child being put up for adoption.

The second phase of DNA testing comes when the child arrives in the U.S. A DNA sample must be taken from the child and compared with the DNA profile from the first test to ensure that the child has not been switched.

Although painful for U.S. families trying to adopt and the attorneys going though the steps to help them, DNA testing seems necessary to prevent child trafficking. Families spend upwards of $50,000 to adopt a child from Guatemala. $1000 to complete DNA testing in order to make sure the child is willingly being given up by the mother seems like a small price to pay.

Be on the lookout for more posts about the procedures for completing DNA testing for Guatemala adoptions.

An informed gentleman from New York called the office this morning. He is petitioning to bring his mother to the U.S. She lives outside Lagos, Nigeria and has an interview at the U.S. Embassy next week. He has heard from friends that the U.S. Embassy may request an immigration DNA test, so he had some questions about the process.

I let him know that the Embassy in Nigeria often requests DNA testing for immigration when the consular officers feel that the families have not provided enough proof of a biological relationship. He wanted to be proactive, but the Embassy says not to complete the testing unless they ask for it. I disagree with that guideline, but there hasn’t been much progress to change it.

If and when the Embassy requests DNA testing for him and his mom, he’ll need to call a DNA company who provides AABB accredited results. He’ll be responsible for all costs included in the procedure; DNA testing, shipping and handling, country fees. His mom will be required to pay a small fee to the Doctor at the U.S. Embassy who collects the sample, but all other fees are paid by the petitioner.

The gentleman was delighted to hear that one company could handle the testing for him in New York and his mom in Nigeria. I was happy that he was happy. I wished him good luck, and hopefully the consular officer will find enough evidence, so a DNA test is not needed. Only time will tell.

For more information about the immigration DNA testing process check out our article, Five Steps of an Immigration DNA Test.

According to AP article, “US mulls DNA tests for some refugees”, the Obama administration is considering restarting a program it implemented in 2007 which required DNA testing for some refugee applicants. This could affect a large number of new I-730 petitions.

The original program in 2007 asked thousands of African refugees to prove relatedness to their family members in the U.S. According to the program results, only 20% of Kenyan cases were able to prove relationships.

The USCIS already requests immigration DNA testing for many family based I-130 petitions. If families are not able to prove relatedness using primary documentation such as birth certificates, or if the immigration officer suspects fraud for a different reason, then DNA testing is requested.

This brings into question the cultural differences in relatedness. While U.S. citizens see only biological relatives as brothers or sisters, it is not always the same in other nations. The issue of cultural difference is resolved with the U.S. immigration rules and regulations for family-based petitions. Rules clearly explain that petitioners and beneficiaries must be biologically related.

DNA testing for refugees, if implemented, will require petitioners to have their DNA collected in the U.S. and the refugee or asylee to be collected at the U.S. Embassy overseas. This testing process must be facilitated by an accredited DNA testing company in the U.S.

In essence, DNA testing for refugees will help enforce immigration law, and it is likely to dishearten many refugee families at the same time.

Picture Credit: Center For Refugee Studies

A growing concern among U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents who are petitioning loved ones from overseas is the issue of waiting times. Family-based immigration has become bogged down by excessive waiting time and country quotas which exacerbate those wait times.

According to the U.S. Visa Bulletin, U.S. citizens are entitled to apply for visas for spouses, children, and parents without regard to overall caps, but other close family members, including children over the age of 21, must wait years to reunite with loved ones. For example, an immigrant residing in the United States legally with a green card must currently wait at least five years to receive a green card for her minor child. A naturalized U.S. citizen from the Philippines must wait over 20 years before obtaining a green card for a brother or sister.

At the final interview, beneficiaries must show proof that they are biologically related to the petitioner. Primary and secondary evidence include birth records, photographs, insurance receipts, and anything else that offers proof. If primary and secondary evidence are not sufficient, then immigration officials will recommend DNA testing. If you speak with a qualified immigration attorney, they will tell you that certain factors increase your probability of needing a DNA test. Most factors involve issues with birth certificates or legal names.

If you suspect needing a DNA test for immigration you can start the process before the Embassy requests it. This way, when they do ask for it you already have the results you are looking for. This could save you 1-6 months of processing. This is not a ton of time relative to the 20 years it takes a Filipino to be reunited with her brother, but every second counts when you are trying to be together with your family.

After more than a three month pause of all DNA testing activities in Accra, Ghana, the U.S. Embassy has announced that it is resuming testing. Prior to the pause, testing was completed at MedLab, an Embassy authorized collection clinic in Accra. From now on, all DNA test collections will be completed directly at the U.S. Embassy.

If you are one of the hundreds of families who started a DNA test with a laboratory during the pause, the Embassy has announced all beneficiaries should be receiving phone calls to schedule appointments this fall.

The Embassy also announced that DNA testing is only used when other forms of evidence are not sufficient to prove a biological relationship between the petitioner and beneficiary. The Embassy in Ghana does not accept walk-ins for DNA sample collection.

Once a DNA collection is scheduled for the beneficiary the case should be near completion. The beneficiary should bring a passport as well as two photos to the DNA sample collection appointment.

For more information about immigration DNA testing in Ghana, contact a DNA case manager.

Customers want information to be fast, simple and convenient in today’s high technology society. On September 10, 2009, Boston Paternity launched a new mobile website, specifically designed to provide DNA testing information to individuals using mobile phones.

The mobile paternity test information site offers basic information about paternity testing, immigration DNA testing, and other relationship tests. “Our customers search for DNA testing information everywhere, explained John Quintal, President of Boston Paternity. “At home, work, school, or in their car, our clients can now access DNA testing information from anywhere.”

In celebrating the launch of the new website, Boston Paternity is offering a $50 discount on all DNA tests when customers mention the code located on the mobile website. You can find the code and claim the discount at Boston Paternity’s Mobile DNA Testing Site.

I’ve been doing lots of immigration forum browsing lately trying to get a feel for the common concerns of U.S. citizens who are petitioning relatives. A process which takes anywhere between 6 months and 10 years to complete, obtaining legal permanent residence for a family member can be a daunting task. Financial requirements, filing of forms, and interviews require families to be informed and prepared. Many families are hearing from friends that the USCIS will request a DNA test for immigration between family members. Families wonder if it will happen to them.

USCIS or the Department of State is likely to request a DNA test for immigration when they are suspicious of fraud. Birth certificates, photographs, insurance records and other documentation should be used to prove you and your family member’s biological relationship. There are two main instances where DNA testing is requested, according to immigration attorney Rachel C. Tadmor:

1. When a child’s parents are not married
2. When a birth certificate is issued many years after the child’s birth

Immigration officials will typically look at birth records, school records, and photographs before resorting to DNA testing. If a DNA test is requested, it is important to complete the test as quickly as possible, because processing is stopped until completion.

Rachel Tadmor is an immigration attorney in Worcester, MA. She has extensive experience working with the African community, and our clients highly recommend her.