DCF Moscow: What docs exactly need to be translated??

[millefleur 5,046]

Copied and pasted from the US Embassy website:

How to file:

For spouses one Form I-130 and two Forms G-325A with photos (one for the petitioner and one for the beneficiary) and documents establishing a valid relationship must be submitted. For children or parents the Form I-130 must be submitted along with evidence of relationship to the petitioner. Please remember to sign all the forms. These forms are available at http://www.uscis.gov and by following these links:

• Form I-130
• Form G-325A

The instructions accompanying the forms mention the types of documentation that must be submitted in support of this petition. Please note that in addition to the documents listed in the Form I-130 instructions, the USCIS Moscow Field Office requires proof of the petitioner’s lawful presence in the Russian Federation. Remember to include the following with each petition you intend to file as copies will not be made by USCIS:

• Evidence of residency in the Russian Federation for the U.S. citizen petitioner. Please Note: Certain pieces of evidence may more strongly support a finding of residency than others. For petitions filed at this field office, you must submit one or more of the following:
  • Residency permit or card
  • Work contract or other employment documents

• In addition, other evidence of residency may include, but is not limited to:
  • Passport entry stamp
  • Utility bills
  • Housing lease
  • Proof of local registration
  • Military orders
  • Bank statements
  • Proof of school enrollment
  • Vehicle registration
  • Valid local driver’s license
  • Tax documents
  • Foreign property deeds or registration (although proof of property ownership in itself, may be insufficient if there is no evidence that the petitioner resides at that property)

• Copies of identity documents (passports, naturalization/birth certificates, etc.);
• English translation attested to and signed by a competent translator of each document not in English;

I'm confused about the translation requirement. Does my Russia visa have to be translated into English? What about my work contract? I also have proof of local registration, does that also need to be translated??

I know for sure that the documents for the I-130 will be translated, but this is for the "Evidence of Residency" requirement. Please help, it's confusing and I don't want to waste the money on extra translations if it isn't needed. Thanks in advance!!

[Mark88 183]

If you are doing DCF, usually the local language (in your case Russian) and English documents do not need to be translated. If you want to be sure though, email the local field office and just ask them this directly. moscow.dhs@uscis.dhs.gov

[millefleur 5,046]

If you are doing DCF, usually the local language (in your case Russian) and English documents do not need to be translated. If you want to be sure though, email the local field office and just ask them this directly. moscow.dhs@uscis.dhs.gov

OK thank you! I will email them and double check.

[JenniferNangel 137]

When I did dcf my husband birth certificate and our marriage certificate were the only things I translated

[millefleur 5,046]

When I did dcf my husband birth certificate and our marriage certificate were the only things I translated

I'm going to send them a mail anyway since it's so embassy-specific. Thanks for the input though. I really I hope I won't need to translate everything!

[millefleur 5,046]

Just wanted to update this:

I called the USCIS Moscow Field Office and they told me that ABOSLUTELY EVERYTHING has to be translated. (Except for my Russian visa.)

Great.....just one more thing to do now.

[PetersTractor 0]

On 11/29/2016 at 5:47 AM, millefleur said:

Just wanted to update this:

I called the USCIS Moscow Field Office and they told me that ABOSLUTELY EVERYTHING has to be translated. (Except for my Russian visa.)

Great.....just one more thing to do now.

 

Hi Millefleur!

 

I am in the process of bringing my dad to the U.S. and currently I am waiting for the case number form the NVC. 

How come did they ask you to translate everything if the travel.state.gov website is saying: "All documents not written in English, or in the official language of the country in which you are applying for a visa, must be accompanied by certified translations. "

And the document on the U.S. Consulate in Russia is saying pretty much the same: "All documents not written in English or Russian must be accompanied by certified translations"

 

Where is the truth?

 

Thanks!

Tractor.

[millefleur 5,046]

Sorry that I never followed up on this @PetersTractor. At the time when I called them, they told me that everything had to be translated. It is possible that it has changed since then. Best thing to do is call them up and ask if you need clarification.

[Jorge V 195]

On 11/24/2016 at 6:43 AM, Mark88 said:

If you are doing DCF, usually the local language (in your case Russian) and English documents do not need to be translated. If you want to be sure though, email the local field office and just ask them this directly. moscow.dhs@uscis.dhs.gov

OP has already posted as to this not being the case, but wanted to add to this.

 

DCF has two phases handled by two entities: the I130 is handled by the local USCIS field office and everything else is handled by the local embassy. This is opposed to the non DCF route which has three phases (USCIS, NVC, and embassy).

 

For both methods of filing, everything has to be translated for the USCIS phase. This is true whether your I130 is being processed by one of the five USCIS field offices within the US or one based in a foreign country. I haven't heard of any foreign USCIS field office that accepts documents that are not accompanied by an English translated.

 

Similarly for both methods, documents are typically not required to be translated during the embassy phase as long as they are either in English or the official local language. I say typically because the embassy has final say and you should always read their instructions first. That said, I don't think I'm aware of any embassies who require English translations.

 

So in short, documents should always be accompanied by an English translation when dealing with USCIS regardless of filing method. When dealing with the embassy, you will most likely not need to translate documents in the local language, but always check the embassy's instructions.

Edited January 21, 2019 by Jorge V

[millefleur 5,046]

Thank you @Jorge V! That clears it up for sure. When I did DCF in Moscow, during the USCIS phase, the officer did not speak Russian. However, during the Embassy phase, the officer did speak Russian. This makes so much more sense now. So, basically, for the I-130 phase, bring translations into English.

Edited January 21, 2019 by millefleur