---
title: "Check that foreign-language civil documents are paired with an English translation"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/immigration-and-migration-law/check-translated-documents-are-paired-and-complete/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A30-P20260916-3-US"
practice_area: "Immigration & Migration Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check that foreign-language civil documents are paired with an English translation

> List each foreign-language document in the pack and whether an English translation is attached behind it. Do not translate the document and do not sign a translator's certificate.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/immigration-and-migration-law/check-translated-documents-are-paired-and-complete/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Immigration & Migration Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/immigration-and-migration-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | List each foreign-language document in the pack and whether an English translation is attached behind it. Do not translate the document and do not sign a translator's certificate. |
| What the lawyer must review | The USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 4, says each foreign birth certificate must include a certified English translation. You confirm that pairing and you read the current form instructions for every other foreign-language document before you treat the same rule as universal. A tool's working translation is not the certified translation. The translator's certificate is the translator's. Do not file a translation nobody has checked against the original. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Check translated documents are paired and complete](https://ailawframework.com/practice/immigration-and-migration-law/check-translated-documents-are-paired-and-complete.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List each foreign-language document in the pack and whether an English translation is attached behind it. Do not translate the document and do not sign a translator's certificate.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The chapter also points officers to the Department of State reciprocity schedule for whether a birth certificate is available.
- Do not submit the optional USCIS checklist in place of the form instructions.

## Sources

- [USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 4, Documentation](https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7-part-a-chapter-4) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [USCIS: Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative](https://www.uscis.gov/i-130) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Immigration intake and document checklist (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/immigration-and-migration-law/us-immigration-intake-and-documents.md) | Checklist | Yellow | A client intake and document list for a USCIS benefit request, tied to eligibility at filing and to full English translations, with no sworn statement. |
| [Immigration translation check (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/immigration-and-migration-law/us-immigration-translation-check.md) | Checklist | Yellow | A check that every foreign-language document in a USCIS file has a full English translation and a translator's certificate of accuracy and competence. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*