USCIS DNA testing from Oregon or Washington: a step-by-step guide

DNA testing is generally suggested, not ordered. It typically comes up when:

• A birth certificate is unavailable, was registered long after birth, or is issued by a country with limited civil registration
• Names, dates, or spellings are inconsistent across documents
• A consular officer issues a Request for Evidence or a suggestion letter during an immigrant visa interview
• The relationship is claimed for an I-130, I-129F, I-600/I-600A, or a refugee or asylee follow-to-join petition

Because testing is voluntary, the petitioner arranges and pays for it. A result the family collected on its own, or a home DNA kit, will not be accepted.

USCIS and the U.S. Department of State accept relationship DNA results only from laboratories accredited by AABB for relationship testing. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applies its own accreditation standard for Canadian cases.

The accredited laboratory — not the petitioner — contacts the embassy or consulate, ships the collection kit overseas, and returns the sealed report directly to the government. That direct laboratory-to-government chain is what makes the result acceptable.

Pacific Crest DNA Services coordinates immigration cases with an AABB-accredited partner laboratory and performs the U.S.-side collection. The signed report is issued on the partner laboratory's letterhead.

The U.S.-based petitioner, or another tested relative, provides a buccal swab at a supervised, in-person appointment with photo identification verified and a signed chain-of-custody file completed. There are no self-collected or mail-in kits for immigration cases.

Pacific Crest collects petitioners at the Portland collection site or by mobile appointment across Oregon and Washington, which helps families outside the metro area avoid a long drive. Mobile collection can also be arranged at a hospital, care facility, or correctional facility when a participant cannot travel.

The laboratory ships a sealed kit to the designated U.S. embassy, consulate, or an approved panel physician in the beneficiary's country. The post schedules the beneficiary's appointment and collects the specimen under its own supervision.

Petitioners should expect this to be the longest part of the timeline. Appointment availability, local courier service, and customs clearance vary widely by post, so the overseas leg often takes several weeks even when the U.S. collection is finished quickly.

Once all specimens reach the laboratory, the analysis itself is typically the quickest stage. The laboratory then sends the official report directly to the requesting embassy, consulate, or USCIS office.

The petitioner normally receives a copy for their own records, but the family's copy is not the version the government acts on. Immigration officers rely on the report they receive directly from the accredited laboratory.

• The USCIS, consular, or IRCC letter suggesting DNA testing, including any case or receipt number
• The full name, date of birth, and current country and city of the overseas beneficiary
• The embassy, consulate, or panel physician named in the letter
• Government-issued photo identification for each U.S. participant, and a birth certificate for any minor
• A preferred collection location — our Portland site or a mobile appointment address in Oregon or Washington

This article is general educational information about the immigration DNA testing process, not legal advice. Questions about a specific petition should go to a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative.