DNA Testing for Immigrant Visa Applicants Gaining
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By David Nicholson
According to a recent article by Associated Press writer Peter Prengaman, increasing numbers of U.S. immigrants are turning to DNA for proof-of-relationship in the application process. The article cites several reasons for the upswing in genetic testing interest; when primary records have proven insufficient, the State Department will often recommend DNA testing as a definitive verification method. Immigration officials, the article states, focus the DNA microscope where suspicion of fraud or the absence of documentation like birth certificates present themselves.
But despite potentially prohibitive costs and some initial apprehension about privacy, for many immigrants, the prospect of a speedier application approval trumps all other considerations. The experience of a recent DNA test customer provides an ideal example of DNA immigration testing in action. In July 2005 Edilberto and Brenda Bollozos were shocked by news from the American Embassy in Manila that their sons’ visa applications had been denied. The notice recommended DNA testing as a means of officially gathering the necessary evidence.
The couple decided to use a DNA testing company. “We just called the 800 number, answered a few questions and set up an appointment,” recalls Mr. Bollozos. Within a few days, a DNA collection specialist was in their home, guiding them through the specimen gathering and documentation process. “They were very friendly and helpful, and the whole process was actually extremely easy.”
Meanwhile, the company coordinated the collection of the boys’ genetic specimens with the American embassy in the Philippines. The couple was told to expect a few weeks for test results to be gathered and processed by the US government. It was on a morning in late July that the official word arrived from the U.S. embassy in Manila: the visas had been granted.
“We were so happy,” Eddie explained. “We couldn’t wait for the boys to come over, so we bought tickets and flew to the Philippines to meet them.” There, the Bollozos family spent more than a month together, before the four of them departed for the United States, and the boys’ new Hayward, California home.
While the stringency of DNA testing guidelines can be superficially intimidating to potential applicants like the Bollozos family, visa seekers are quickly attracted to the U.S. policy that requires expedited processing of blood relationship cases involving DNA paternity testing or other relationship testing, effectively simplifying and shortening the pathway to attaining a visa.
Naturally, the details of the process and its scientific roots are the last thing on the mind of individuals like Eddie Bollozos. His enthusiasm for the incalculable aid DNA testing provided to help unite his family is impossible to deny. “It’s wonderful,” Bollozos says. “My sons are finally able to share my love of this land.”
David Nicholson owns and runs DNA Worldwide one of the leading online DNA testing sompanies in the UK. He has been working within the insurance industry for over 5 years and has thousands of satisfied customers worldwide. DNA Worldwide provides DNA Testing services.
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