BRT Laboratories, Inc.

DNA testing for immigration wasn't always available. For a lot of Americans, U.S. citizenship began with their grandparents or great-grandparents entering New York Harbor. According to The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, more than 12 million immigrants were processed through the immigration station during its 62 years of service. After a physical exam and verification of identity, 98% of those immigrants were granted entry into the United States.

The Bureau of Immigration bore the responsibility of ensuring identification by asking questions and comparing the answers to a questionnaire filled out by the immigrants at their point of embarkation. As technology has improved and methods of verification have become more precise, the agency, which has evolved in part to today's U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), now requires more verifiable evidence of identity before granting admission to the country.

One method of gaining entry into the United States is through a familial relationship. An immediate blood relative (children, parents, or siblings) who is a US citizen (the petitioner) verifies a relationship with a foreign relative (the beneficiary). To move forward, proof of the relationship must be shown. That proof can include church, school, or census records, birth certificates, or affidavits.

Of course, records don't always survive. In fact, the first immigration records stored at the Ellis Island processing facility were destroyed in a fire. Natural disasters, distracted administrators, even misspellings of family names can render documentation destroyed, misplaced, or unreliable. When this occurs, the USCIS suggests DNA testing as evidence of a relationship.

An American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) accredited laboratory can generally prove or disprove the probability of a family relationship with 99% certainty. DNA testing for immigration can therefore provide the virtually irrefutable proof that is sometimes needed when sponsoring family members.

In a painless procedure, a DNA sample is collected from both the petitioner and the beneficiary. It is tested by an accredited laboratory, and the results are sent to the appropriate Homeland Security office. The USCIS and Department of State then has the proof they need to verify the relationship between the parties.

If you are a U.S. citizen with family living elsewhere, our immigration DNA testing coordinators can help. We've been a Baltimore institution for more than 60 years, and we've spent over two decades helping families with DNA testing. Contact us now to get started.