Immigration DNA Testing

Immigration DNA testing can provide valuable supporting evidence for visa, passport, citizenship and family reunification applications by confirming biological relationships. While testing is voluntary, using a UKAS accredited and Home Office approved laboratory helps ensure your results are accepted and supported by a secure chain of custody.

• Parentage, siblingship, grandparentage and aunt/uncle relationships can all be tested.
• Home Office compliant sample collection and secure chain of custody help ensure results are accepted.
• UK and international sample collection services are available through our global network.
• Results are typically issued within 1-2 working days of the laboratory receiving all samples.

Full Video Transcript

Applying for a visa, passport, or citizenship application can be quite overwhelming, time-consuming, and complicated at times.

But did you know that having a DNA relationship test can provide valuable evidence to support your application?

Hi, I’m Charlotte, and in this video, I’m going to explain the process of an immigration DNA test and the results that you receive, and how they can support your immigration application.

How can DNA testing support immigration applications?

DNA relationship test is strictly voluntary in immigration applications, and authorities cannot force you to conduct a DNA test. However, a DNA elationship test can provide valuable evidence in support of biological relationships, which may be queried by the Home Office.

An immigration DNA test can be particularly helpful in visa applications, passport applications, and in family reunification cases. They are important when documentation, such as birth certificates, are not available, and they are also great at just speeding up the whole process as it reduces the back and forth from the Home Office to the applicant.

Which relationships can be tested?

The most common DNA test that we perform for immigration applications is a parentage test, and that is either between the father or the mother of the child. We always recommend including as many people as possible to provide stronger evidence in this DNA test to support your application.

For instance, if it is a paternity test, we always recommend including the biological mother as well because, as I said, this just provides stronger evidence to support your application.

Other relationship tests that we do for immigration cases include siblingship, grandparentage, and aunt and uncle DNA testing.

Every immigration application is completely unique, so if you need any advice at all, please reach out to us and we can help.

Accreditations and approvals

It is so important that if you are doing a DNA test, that you do this through an accredited DNA testing laboratory such as NorthGene™.

Here at NorthGene™, we are accredited under UKAS 17025. We are also approved by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office for our DNA relationship testing.

We are one of very few providers in the UK who are able to provide this service to support your immigration application.

When DNA relationship testing is performed by an accredited laboratory such as NorthGene™, you can be confident that the results we issue are greater than 99.999% accurate, and you also have full confidence that these results will be accepted by the immigration authorities.

How does the process work?

At NorthGene™, we have designed a process to be as straightforward as possible.

Step 1: Case Registration

The process begins by completing a simple registration form, which can be found on our website.

The details that we need to register your case include the participants’ names and date of births, where they are based, whether this is in the UK or abroad, and then who would be responsible for the payment of the test.

Following on from that, we will need details for the sample collection, and typically for participants and sponsors based in the UK, we will arrange a home sample collection in which a trained sample collector will come to your home address and take the samples following the Home Office DNA sample collection guidance.

For any participants based abroad, we have an international network of sample collector clinics that we can share with you. Alternatively, you can share the details with us of a medical practitioner or doctor in the country where the other participants are based, and we can explain to them how to take the samples, again, following the Home Office sample collection guidance.

On that report, it is really helpful if you can provide us as much information as possible, such as the deadline for your application and any email recipients for the DNA test reports.

Step 2: Sample Collection

For all of our immigration DNA tests, we follow the Home Office sample collection guidance, and this ensures strict chain of custody throughout the sample collection process, ensuring acceptance of the DNA results for your immigration application.

The process itself involves a simple sample from the inside of your cheek, and this is just a cotton swab rubbed for 30 seconds on one side of the cheek and then 30 seconds on the other side of the cheek.

For every person providing a DNA sample, we need to certify their identity, and this is done via a photograph of the donor providing the sample and also by verifying any photo ID that they have available at the point of sample collection.

At the end of the process, the sample collector will make a legal declaration confirming that the samples have come from exactly who they should come from, and the sample collector will then return the samples back to our laboratory in tamper-evident and tracked means.

Step 3: Analysis and Results

Samples are returned back to our UK-based laboratory, and upon receipt, they are inspected for any evidence of tampering. Samples are then processed in our laboratory on the same day we receive them.

The following day, we analyse the data and generate the statistical reports for the DNA test.

We then issue all results in one to two working days from receipt of samples, and alongside the DNA test report itself is the evidence of the chain of custody needed by the authorities dealing with your immigration application.

These results are issued over email to the recipient specified on the registration form. But at NorthGene™, we always recommend that we also issue the reports directly to the immigration authorities themselves, and this just reduces any delays with querying the authenticity of the report.

Why choose NorthGene™?

At NorthGene™, we are committed to providing you with reliable, professional, and supportive DNA testing.

From your initial inquiry through to issuing a report, we are here to support you throughout the entirety of the process.

With more than 30 years of expertise in immigration DNA testing, we are proud to support families and individuals from all across the world.

To learn more about our immigration DNA testing, you can visit our website today, or you can contact one of our helpful customer service team who will be able to support you with your application.

Immigration DNA testing can provide valuable evidence to support visa, passport and citizenship applications by confirming biological relationships. Choosing a UKAS accredited and Home Office approved laboratory, such as NorthGene™, ensures your DNA test is accurate, reliable and completed in line with the requirements of the immigration authorities.

Need advice about immigration DNA testing? Contact us today for expert guidance and support.