Did USCIS ask for your translation again? What to check and how to get a new one in time

If USCIS asked for your translation again, its rule and form instructions call for a full translation of the document with the translator’s certification. The certification has to say that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate from Spanish into English. It also needs the translator’s signature, printed name, date and contact information.

The new translation goes inside your response, together with everything else the notice asks for. USCIS has to receive your response by the date on the notice.

USCIS, the federal agency that decides your application, calls that notice a Request for Evidence, or RFE.

What is an RFE, and why is it asking about your translation again?

An RFE is a notice asking you for more evidence before USCIS decides your case. It is not a denial. When it mentions your translation, it may be because the translation was missing or incomplete, or because its certification didn’t say what the rule requires.

That rule is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3): every document in another language must come with a full English translation and the translator’s certification. Under USCIS policy, an RFE names the evidence that is missing or falls short and explains why (USCIS Policy Manual), so look for the document your RFE names.

USCIS doesn’t always send an RFE before it decides. For requests pending or filed on or after August 5, 2026, USCIS says it can generally deny an application without one when required initial evidence is missing (USCIS alert; USCIS Policy Manual). Initial evidence is what the regulations and form instructions say to file with the application.

What must the translator’s certification say?

The certification must make three statements: the translation is complete, it is accurate, and the translator is competent to translate from Spanish into English. It must also carry the translator’s signature, printed name, date and contact information.

That makes seven points. The rule asks for the three statements, and the Form I-485 instructions (the application to adjust status, 09/18/26 edition) add the other four. Check the certification you sent against this list:

The certification must	Where USCIS asks for it
State that the translation is complete	8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)
State that the translation is accurate	8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)
State that the translator is competent to translate from Spanish into English	8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)
Carry the translator’s signature	I-485 instructions
Carry the translator’s printed name	I-485 instructions
Carry the date it was signed	I-485 instructions
Carry the translator’s contact information	I-485 instructions

Table sources, checked October 2026: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) · Form I-485 instructions, 09/18/26 edition. The instructions for the I-130 (the family petition), the N-400 (the naturalization application) and the I-589 (the asylum application) list the same items.

Notarization is not on the list. Neither the rule nor the I-485 instructions ask for it.

Our guide on why USCIS rejects or ignores a translation has real examples from the USCIS appeals office (the AAO). Every full certified translation we prepare for USCIS carries the signed certification the rule requires.

Which parts of a document get left untranslated most often?

Whatever sits outside the main text: headers and fine print, stamps and seals, margin notes, the back of the page and an attached apostille.

The American Translators Association (ATA), a professional association of translators, warns that translating only part of a record while omitting “fine print, headers, or back-page stamps frequently triggers rejection.” It also says government bodies such as USCIS “require every visible detail translated,” apostilles and marginal notes included (ATA, 2026).

Check your document for:

• The back of every page, even if all it has is a stamp or a signature.
• Margin notes and annotations. The State Department notes that in some Mexican states you can get a marriage certificate with an annotation noting the divorce.
• The apostille, if one is attached. That is the certificate that confirms the signature or seal on a public document so it can be used in another country.

USCIS calls a summary prepared by a translator unacceptable (Policy Manual). In a 2018 decision, the USCIS appeals office wrote that, judging by its title, one document appeared to be “only an extract of a document and not a complete translation” as the rule requires (January 2018 decision, non-precedent).

For what gets translated on each certificate, see our guides to the Mexican birth certificate, the marriage certificate and the Mexican divorce certificate.

Is it enough for another translator to sign a new certification?

It may not be. In a February 2025 decision, the USCIS appeals office reviewed a case in which another USCIS office had sent an RFE. That office noted that the translator’s declaration did not certify the translations as complete or attest to the translator’s own competence (February 2025 decision, non-precedent).

The RFE response included a new declaration, signed by a different person, that still did not certify that the translations were complete. And because it was not signed by the person who signed the earlier certification, the appeals office wrote, “it is not evident that this new declaration could cover the translated documents submitted earlier.”

When a client brings us an RFE that questions a translation, we translate the whole document again, and Didi, who does the translating, signs the new certification. Our immigration guide answers a related question: can one certification cover several documents?

How long do you have, and how does the translation go in?

Until the date on your notice, and USCIS cannot extend it. USCIS policy caps the time to answer an RFE at 12 weeks (84 days), or 30 days for Forms I-539 and I-601A, and adds 3 days when USCIS mails the notice. Those limits don’t apply when a regulation sets its own response time: for naturalization (Form N-400), for example, USCIS generally gives 30 days, or 33 if it mails the RFE. The RFE has to state the deadline, so go by the date printed on yours. What counts is the day USCIS receives your response or, if you respond through your USCIS online account, the day you submit it (USCIS Policy Manual; 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)).

The translation goes inside your response. The rule requires everything USCIS asked for to go in together, at one time, with the original RFE. If you send only part of it, USCIS treats that as a request to decide with what it already has (8 CFR 103.2(b)(11)).

If you don’t respond, USCIS can deny the application (8 CFR 103.2(b)(13)).

The rule pairs each translation with the document it translates (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)), so a copy of the Spanish document goes in with the new translation. The form instructions ask for legible photocopies unless USCIS asks for the original, and warn that USCIS may destroy originals it did not ask for (I-485 instructions). In March 2025, the USCIS appeals office could not tell whether some translations were accurate because copies of the originals were missing (March 2025 decision, non-precedent).

If your RFE asks for anything besides the translation, or you are not sure what it asks for, talk to an immigration attorney or an accredited representative before you respond.

What do you send us for the new translation?

Clear photos on WhatsApp are enough, and we don’t need your original document. Send us:

• The page of the RFE that mentions the translation, so we know which document it names. Cover the rest if you like, such as your receipt number and A-Number.
• The whole document, front and back, in good light and with no edges cut off.
• Your RFE deadline.

We send you a quote. If it works for you, you pay the deposit and we translate. You review and approve the translation, and then we certify it: nothing is certified until you approve 100% of the content.

Standard delivery is 48 business hours. Express service delivers in 2 to 4 hours for an additional charge, weekends and holidays included.

We deliver the certified translation to you. Putting your response together and sending it to USCIS is up to you, or to your attorney or accredited representative.

A new translation for your RFE with Puente Grande

Didilia “Didi” De La O translates your whole document from Spanish into English and signs the certification. We work from Phoenix with clients anywhere in the U.S. These are our certified translation prices:

Document	Price
Birth certificate	$35 short form, $45 long form
Marriage certificate	$40 short form, $50 long form
Divorce or death certificate	$35 short form, $45 long form
ID (national ID card, matrícula consular or passport)	$30
Personal statement	From $20 per page
Police report or medical report	From $30 per page
Express delivery (2 to 4 hours)	Additional charge

Get a quote: message us on WhatsApp at (602) 332-9460 with the RFE page, the photos of your document and your deadline. You can also call us or contact us by email or through our form.

What this guide does not answer

This guide does not tell you how to answer the rest of your RFE, whether you qualify for what you applied for, or what strategy to follow. That is legal advice. For it, look for an immigration attorney or an accredited representative of an organization recognized by the Department of Justice.

EOIR, the Justice Department office that runs the immigration courts, publishes the roster of recognized organizations and accredited representatives. USCIS explains how to find legal services.