Which documents need to be translated for immigration or asylum applications in the US?

All documents supporting your immigration or asylum application (sworn statements, evidence and additional files) should be translated into English. Any document with any non-English text, no matter how brief, must be translated. For instance, a text on a photograph must be translated accurately.

Do document translations submitted to USCIS or Immigration Courts need to be notarized?

No, USCIS and the Immigration Courts do not require your translations to be notarized. However, the translations must be submitted with a “Certificate of Translation” prepared by your translator.

What should the Certificate of Translation be like?

The Certificate of Translation should state that the translator is competent to translate in the relevant language and that the translation is complete and accurate. These statements must be prepared separately for every single document translated and signed by the translator.

What are the expected standards for translating official documents?

The document translated into English must be accurate with its original appearance. For instance, charts, stamps and footnotes should appear in the same way in both the Turkish and English documents. Dates should follow the American date format (month/day/year).

Why is it important that translations are accurate and complete?

Translation errors can cause your application to be denied or the process to be delayed. At USCIS and the Immigration Courts, officers are only able to read and review documents in English. Documents that do not comply with the rules may not be accepted by the relevant authorities.

What are the important points to be considered during the translation process?

When translating from one language into another, the meaning in the original text must be accurately transferred to the target language and the translation must be clear and linguistically correct. In addition, it is of great importance that translators are familiar with the terminology used in the documents. At the post-translation stage, each document should be carefully examined to prevent possible errors, and any mistakes, if any, should be corrected by an expert.

Who can prepare translations of my documents to be submitted to USCIS and the Immigration Courts?

According to USCIS and the Immigration Courts rules, it is sufficient for your translator to be authorized to translate from a foreign language into English. There is no requirement for the translator to be a certified translator. However, USCIS and the Immigration Courts have established a category of “persons who cannot be translators” in order to maintain the reliability of translations submitted by the applicant.

According to this;

• the applicant,
• the applicant’s lawyer,
• support letter writers,
• persons who are public officials in the applicant’s country,
• persons whose asylum application has not yet been finalized,
• persons whose names are mentioned in the statement,
• first-degree relatives,
• persons under the age of 18 cannot be translators.

I have a friend, but they are not a certified translator. Can they prepare my translations?

Yes, they can; however as stated above, translations submitted to official institutions must be accompanied by a “Certificate of Translation”.

Why should I work with the Göçmen Çeviri team during the application process?

As the Göçmen Çeviri team, we are specialized in asylum and immigration applications. Our command of legal terms and USCIS court translation rules ensures that your translations are of the highest quality for your immigration applications in the US. Each translation prepared is checked by at least two experts. Most importantly, we pay utmost attention to the confidentiality of personal information during and after the translation process. With our many long years of experience, you can safely navigate the seemingly complex process ahead of you.

What is the turnaround time for translations?

You will receive an offer for the translation of your documents within 24 hours after you send us your documents using the “Get a Free Offer” form on the Göçmen Çeviri website. Our turnaround times for documents may vary depending on different factors such as the number of documents and the schedule of our translation team. However, it is possible for us to deliver the translations of your documents that do not exceed a few pages on the same day or within 24 hours at most.