DNA Paternity Testing for Immigration

DNA Paternity Testing for Immigration

Immigration to the United States can seem like an extensive and complex process. There is a great deal of waiting and information required to complete the procedure. Sometimes immigration DNA testing is required when trying to bring a family member to the U.S. from another country.

Before a paternity test was an acceptable form of relationship verification for immigration purposes, confirming a biological relationship included chasing down birth certificates and other legal paperwork to verify that relationship. If that information was not complete it could mean having to start the process over. With scientific advances to the process of immigration DNA testing, proving a biological relationship has become a bit more manageable.

Paternity testing for immigration does require a legal paternity test collection, meaning participants must be collected by a third party where a chain-of-custody is put in place. But first, the DNA test request must come from the United States Embassy to verify what type of DNA testing they are asking for. They may need more than one type of DNA test.

How paternity testing for immigration works

The U.S. embassy requires strict criteria for DNA test results. The laboratory performing paternity tests for immigration should be accredited and recognized by the embassy as an accredited laboratory. Pricing for immigration DNA testing varies depending on the type of test needed.

All participants living in the United States participating in the DNA testing for immigration will have their collections done at a collection facility set up by the testing laboratory. The participants will go to the collection facility for DNA collection where paperwork is filled out and identification is verified. Photos of participants are taken in most cases.

For those living outside of the United States, the testing laboratory will send all necessary paperwork and collection supplies to the U.S. Embassy for DNA collection. This process is at the discretion of the U.S. embassy as to how quickly the collection process is handled. The U.S. embassy will then send all of the collected samples to the laboratory for DNA testing.

DNA test results are sent to the U.S. embassy, and participants can also receive copies for their records. The DNA testing laboratory performing the testing can assist the participants through the process, and answer questions along the way.