Part 1

Sometimes families get separated for many reasons-divorce, seeking jobs, political circumstances, or even war. At some point, you might want to be reunited with your loved one(s) living abroad. Well, in a family-based Immigration, for whichever reasons, requires a lot of attention, patience and most importantly, detailed paperwork. However, since people come from different situations and backgrounds, it is possible some of them to miss certain paperwork that is compulsory for the immigration process. Fortunately, there’s another option available to verify your identity with a claimed family relationship; a DNA Immigration Test.

An Immigration DNA test is a powerful tool to support immigration documentation, as well as facilitate the procedures to reunite with your relatives abroad. It could be your grandparent, parent, brother, sister, daughter or son who is already a permanent resident. Nonetheless, the test has to follow a strict chain of procedures and rules to be accepted by the immigration authorities.

Getting Your DNA Immigration Test
If you are interested in supporting an incomplete immigration application with a DNA testing, here are the steps you must follow.

Contact an Accredited DNA testing facility
Immigration authorities require that your samples be collected and tested only by an accredited facility. If your laboratory of choice does not have that accreditation, the results may be considered invalid. You will definitely be forced to go through the process again and therefore, paying more fees and delaying the overall process.

Collecting & forward the samples to the immigration embassy.
The collection clinic will send the samples directly to the main accredited lab testing site in your country. The lab will forward the DNA test kit to the immigration embassy or passport agency where the application for a blood relative is pending. It would be best to have the testing kit go directly from the lab to the embassy so as to preserve the test reliability.

Shipping the kit abroad
You have to make payment arrangements with an accredited laboratory abroad before the kit is shipped to the embassy abroad.

Part2

Collecting the DNA samples from the family member
You will have to wait for the immigration embassy abroad to make an appointment for DNA collection from your family member once they receive your DNA kit from the accredited laboratory. The samples from a family member are obtained under close supervision and coordinated by an approved lab facility. No third party whatsoever is allowed in choosing a testing lab, or even scheduling appointments for the test.

Testing the DNA samples at the embassy
The DNA samples collected at the embassy abroad are tested by a chosen panel physician or health professional and witnessed by the embassy officers managing the process.

DNA result collection
The DNA results are often available in a few weeks, typically 2-3 weeks. Should your family member receive a DNA collection appointment, he or she should present the following:

· The applicant’s photograph

· A copy of his/her citizen ID

· A receipt issued by the panel doctor confirming payment for the DNA collection.

Once you have the results, it is a lot easier to proceed further and complete your immigration application. The accredited lab abroad will forward the results directly to the immigration authorities, who will make contact with the results and allow you to process your visa.

The immigration DNA test might seem to be a complex procedure; however, it is extremely important and sometimes unavoidable.