According the the Foreign Ministry local staff in German embassies in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa hacve issued visas in exchange for money and have overlooded false statemenst and did not properly review applications. These allegations have already brought about the dissmisal of some employees and investications are ongoing.

Police suspect that human trafficking networks seeking to bring women to work as prostitutes where being run from with in Germany and were using bribes to gain visas.  Officials cannot say how many visas were issued in exchange for bribes.

Humanitarian efforts can be very delicate issues, and the U.S. State Department’s suspension of the East African family-reunification (or Priority Three) is a prime example. The program, was instituted to reunify families from civil war-torn areas with relatives living in the U.S..  The program was suspended in March of 2008 and has not been reopened at this time.

According to the State Department in February of 2009:

There are currently three priorities or categories of cases that have access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Priority One and Two applicants are granted access to the program through an individual referral by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a U.S. Embassy or qualified NGO, or by membership in a group of cases designated as having access to the program by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need for resettlement. Priority Three, or P-3, refers to individual cases from eligible nationalities who are granted access for purposes of family reunification with certain legal residents in the United States.

The State Department decided to preform DNA test on the P-3 starting with the embassy in Kenya to test for fraud.  What they discovered is that the rate of fraud varied from country to country but they were able to confirm biological relationships between fewer than 20% of the cases tested (family units outside the U.S.).

The suspension of this program effects families in a variety of locations including:  Afghanistan,  Bhutan,  Burma,  Burundi,  Central African Republic (CAR), Colombia, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),  Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.

As of October 22, 2008, the Department of State stopped accepting Affidavits of Relationship (AORs) for all nationalities. Although in some location where there was no evidence of fraud (Bangkok, Cairo, Havana, Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul, Kathmandu, Moscow, and Vienna) there are a small number of AORs that were submitted and cleared prior to March 2008 are being processed. No new applications will be accepted for any nationality at this time.

This does not mean that the State Department has not been working to assist the refugee populations seeking admittance to the U.S.  According to the State Department:

We continue to work closely with UNHCR to determine which African refugee populations are appropriate candidates for group and individual referrals. For example, we recently authorized the processing of several thousand Eritrean refugees in a camp in Ethiopia and continue to receive P-1 (individual) referrals of Congolese, Burundians, Somalis, and other African nationalities.

To Read More

In 2007 a group of experts from  over 25 countries supported a Peruvian proposal to create ‘passports’ for genetic resources to help track their use outside the country of origin.  This proposal was a response to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which concluded that each on the 150 countries that signed has sovereignty over genetic resources originating within their boarders.

The idea to create genetic passports was recommended by the Technical Expert Group of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Lima, Peru.  It would allow countries to control the use of such resources outside of their borders, by providing specific information such as the material’s origin, its characteristics and the institutions responsible for providing the genetic resource as well as using it.

While it seems that the proposal was widely praised.  It does not look like it was ever adapted buy the Convention on Biological Diversity.  In fact in a paper titled “Genetic Diversity and Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources” the authors state that:

Accurate passport and characterization data are the first requirements, but users of plant genetic resources, particularly plant breeders, have also emphasised the need for improved evaluation of accessions. Evaluation is a complex process and there is serious backlog in most collections.

So it seems that while genetic passports for resources is was good idea the implementation is difficult and there appears to have been no follow thought.  What about creating genetic passports for people?

In 2006 the Russian Academy of Sciences together with Moscow State University was developing a programme for studying molecular and genetic aspects of human individual nature with multiple goals one of them being providing the Russian population with genetic passports, thus creating the basis for unique person’s identification.  These genetic passport were suppose to help; assess and reduce risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer, prevent neurodegenerative diseases, analyze neurophysiological characteristics of an individual at the molecular level, identify newborns who are susceptible to allergens, medications and other “agents,” examine genetic variants of the central nervous system to “reveal future abilities,” promote personalized medicine, collect genetic biometric data on the Russian population, unambiguously identify anyone.

Canada also debated issuing genetic passports but in their case they were interested in crime prevention.  The goal of the was to provided information that will eliminate identity fraud. The genetic information would be stored in a chip in your passport and would be read by a scanner.  This led to concerns about security and privacy of the information.  What appears to have happened is while this is also a nice idea it never developed fully and was never implemented.

It seems genetic passports are a dream that have never made it past the theory stage, either from lack of funding or no real way to implement the process.  The reality seems to be that genetic passports have become a thing of the movies (Code 46 or Gattaca are good examples).

Would you get a genetic passport either for health care or travel?  Would it matter how that information was stored and who had access to it?

According to the U.N. Population Division, there are now almost 200 million international migrants  and about 50% of these existing immigrants are illegal OR undocumented. The worldwide immigration trend is increasing day by day.

The people intending immigrate also do not have good immigration plans to retain their legal status for a longer duration once they are in a country. They normally overstay their Visa period due to many reasons beyond their control. Then these overstayed / illegal immigrants are forced to live under inhumane circumstances for next many years of their life in many instances.

Immigration Laws and society at large do not help illegal immigrants.

80% of the world immigrant’s population is based on financial inspirations. They migrate in pursuit of financial freedom and happiness. Their existing resources are not enough. They take big risks including making life and death choices. Sometimes they loose life during their journey of Hope.

But most hardworking immigrants who Plan their immigration with proper research and knowledge of immigration laws and procedures are normally able to achieve their immigration goals successfully. They define their immigration objectives in a very realistic way. Their immigration plan is similar to a good business plan. Their every immigration step is pre-planed and anticipated. They know their limitations of resources and set realistic immigration targets to be achieved.

We will be posting additional Articles about IMMIGRATION PLANS prepared and executed by intelligent and hardworking immigrants to achieve their short OR long term immigration objectives. We hope that these posts concerning Immigration plans will help and guide the international immigrant communities to develop their personal immigration plans for their own success.

The title of our next article will be” Immigration plan of a poor student”

If you are serious to try your luck with immigration to USA, UK OR any other 1st world countries, spend some time to develop your workable immigration plan. Your time spent on research will not go waste. You must exactly know what to do and How to do it.

Your first step is to define your Immigration Aim clearly.

How to define your immigration aim is the core point on which your complete immigration plan will be evolving. Let us take few examples of Immigration Aims.

• I want to enter USA on Visit Visa and develop my company Business.
• My aim is to get F-1 Student Visa for my post graduate study program.
• I must get a cheep study program like ESL for my F-1 Visa.
• My fiancé(e) should sponsor me for K-1 Visa.
• My Citizen spouse can file my immigrant visa and K-3 visa simultaneously.
• My company should file L-1 Visa petition for me.
• I am eligible for E-1 / E-2 Treaty Visas.
• I must search a Religious Visa sponsor for me.
• I can join a cultural / Musical group for my Q-Visa.
• Should I join Student exchange program for J-Visa.

These are few examples of simple Aims for your Immigration Plan. After selecting your simple Aim, you can start researching Visa requirements, procedural steps, Forms and Fees and immigration documents required for your selected immigration Aim. Remember that you must have only one immigration aim. Do not try to sail in two boats. You will get confused. One single and simple Immigration aim will allow you to develop a workable clear immigration plan. You must spend more time to decide upon your immigration aim according to your prevalent situation. But avoid having double aims. Only double minded people have double immigration aims. They get lost in the long run. They can not plan in advance their immigration steps.

We have seen many immigrants with simple and single immigration aim have mostly succeeded in achieving their immigration objectives. Even such immigrants who had planed to file an Asylum application after entering USA and followed their Asylum immigration plan without wasting time were more confident in their Asylum interview as compared to those immigrants who had Asylum as a second option.

Because second option Asylum applicants keep on waiting long for filing their Asylum application. They will first apply for their existing visa extension and when Visa extension will be denied by immigration officer then they will apply for Asylum.

Such double minded people are deducted by immigration officers from the database. So their Asylum application is likely to be disapproved by immigration officer. Because interviewing immigration officer will form his opinion that the Asylum application is an afterthought of refusal of the Visa extension application. Secondly you have already become out of status at the time after refusal of your Visa extension application.

Paternity testing is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are beginning to realize the many answers that paternity tests can provide and the emotional and financial heartache that they can save a person. Paternity tests can determine up to 99% accuracy whether or not an individual is the father of a child. This can be very helpful in child custody cases when a man is claiming that he is or is not the biological father of a child. Depending on the results of the paternity test, the courts can then either force the man to pay child support payments or they can make it possible for a person to discontinue, or not begin to, pay child support payments. There are a few different methods that can be used to determine paternity and these different tests can be done either postnatal, which is after a baby is born, or prenatal, which is before the child is born.

A postnatal paternity test can be done by collecting a DNA sample from both the man in question and the child. This can be done through the collection and testing of blood, a swab from the inside of the cheek, umbilical cord and testing, or through various other kinds of testing such as hair and semen. This is generally considered to be the safest kind of paternity testing as the fetus will not be disturbed while it is still developing in the uterus. However, this is not always possible, or not always the preferred type of paternity testing and so, prenatal paternity tests, which are also considered very safe, must be completed to determine paternity.

Amniocentesis is one form of paternity testing that can be done before the child is born. During this type of paternity test, a doctor will insert a large, thin needle into the mother’s belly and right into the uterus. The needle is used to withdraw a small amount of amniotic fluid and that fluid will be tested. This is possible because the amniotic fluid contains DNA and can then be matched, or not matched, to the man’s DNA to establish paternity. This test can only be done under the approval of a doctor as there are some risks to the developing fetus. Some of these risks include miscarriage; leaking of amniotic fluid, which can also be fatal to the fetus, bleeding and cramping for the mother; and a very small chance of injuring the fetus. Because the doctor will use an ultrasound to guide the needle, these risks are very small but are present and so should not be done on a woman who is considered to be in a high-risk pregnancy.

Another type of paternity test is a Chorionic Villus Sampling, otherwise known as CVS. This type of paternity test will allow a small tube or needle to be inserted into the woman through the vagina, where it can then collect chorionic villi from the inside of the uterus. These villi are present on the walls of the uterus and contain the same DNA as the unborn child. These villi are then tested to establish paternity.

The method of paternity test that is chosen should always be taken into careful consideration as usually, this is an issue that can wait until after the child is born and doing so will certainly carry no risks to the child or the mother but still provide answers to questions regarding paternity.

First Things First

First of all, there are several things that you’ll need to know about the process of DNA testing in general if you want to have a rounded view of what this science that has spawned the likes of paternity testing and even Infidelity DNA Testing is all about.

DNA is the material that governs who we are and what we look like. It’s all about our inherited eye and hair color as well as things that we can’t even see like bone density. As for the DNA itself, it’s long and stringy and each of our body’s cells contain a complete sample of that person’s DNA. The codes that make up each of our DNA samples are unique to each of us so that reading someone’s DNA means that you’ll be able to identify them.

Implications.

Because these codes generally get passed on through the sperm and the egg, it’s easy to identify members of a specific family by their DNA. That’s the basis where modern DNA testing comes into play. The implications are staggering.

Beyond the scientific tests that are common like paternity testing and forensics testing, this science has branched out to include Immigration DNA testing when it became apparent that there would be a need after an immigrant petitions to have family members follow. And of course, these tests are precise and they need to be carried out in a laboratory that is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).

Positive Results

And here’s the place where you’ll get the positive results that are essential for these kinds of tests. When you find that you need the services of a reputable place that can get you the services that you need, you’ll want to see that the firm you’re looking at has all the necessary features in place to make the whole process as efficient as possible.

Procedure

In most cases the petitioner is responsable for all the testing and shipping fees.  A DNA kit is shipped directly to the Embassy in the country where the beneficaries are.  The samples are taken either in front of or by an embassy official.  The Embassy will return the DNA samples to the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) accredited laboratory.  This return shipment is prepaid by the laboratory.  Once the laboratory receives all the samples they will conduct testing.  Once testing is complete the laboratory will send an official results package to either the Embassy in question or a U.S. Service Center.

International Students Planning their immigration to study in USA, UK and other 1st world countries have to meet certain academic and financial criteria. Apart from being eligible to get admission in certain educational program on the basis of their qualification, grade and merits, an international student must display their financial strength to pay their tuition and living expenses for at least first one year of their study program.

Many eligible and desirous students are unable to demonstrate their financial support to pay to the College / University approximately US$3600.00 which is normally the cost of tuition for their first semester. They do not have good Bank statements and there is no immediate relative to provide them affidavit of financial support. Hence their immigration desire on student Visa remains a dream.

I will narrate an immigration plan of a poor student from Egypt who I met in Los Angeles, California, USA in January 2005.

One of my friends introduced this young tall boy of about 23 years age, saying that Mr. Sam has arrived in USA in December 2004 on a student Visa to study English As a Second Language for one year. He needs some guidance to achieve his immigration objectives in USA. I asked Mr. Sam to briefly explain his study plan and his immigration objectives to me.

He started speaking English in a very poor accent. He told me that he had very little money in Egypt and he is only a High School graduate. This means that he had gone to school for only 12 years. But he was very serious about learning English and speaking with pure American accent fluently. He wanted to know the business culture, society and relationship building with American business communities. Then he wants to go back to his country and operate a Home based Call center for Telemarketing in USA. He wanted to achieve his immigration objectives during his legal authorized stay period of one year in USA.

He told me with a broad smile that his total expenses of Course admission and F-1 student Visa cost was just US$950.00. He arranged for this money to be paid for by his uncle who also provided an affidavit of support for US$9000.00. Before he applied to immigration officer for student Visa, he traveled to a neighboring country to enhance the value of his passport. He said that Blank passports do not impress the interviewing immigration officer at the US embassy.

During his conversation I noticed that he had planed his immigration activities with lot of care and research. He analysis the situation intelligently. He is accurate in defining his immigration targets. He knows what he can do. He planed a limited immigration goal. His first semester tuition fee was just US$450.00, which was within his resources.

His arrival cost in USA on student immigration Visa was just US$950.00 only. He intends to go back home within legal stay period of his immigration student Visa.  If we analysis his immigration Aim, we can learn that simple and practical thought process can make your plan workable. You do not have to be ambitious while developing your immigration plan.

I made a guideline plan for him to learn and adjust in business culture of corporate America So that he can develop a good call center with lot of success in Telemarketing for his USA clients. I remember this young man left USA in December 2005. He was speaking English in fluent American accent and had developed deep business relationship with many ready clients who trusted him and were willing to outsource their Telemarketing project to his call center in Egypt.

A poor student had achieved his immigration objectives with hard work and intelligent planning. Those international students who have meager financial resources can follow such Immigration Plans to achieve success in life. Telemarketing projects require understanding of your client business psychology and speaking English in fluent American accent. You can learn both these requirements during your student immigration stay on an ESL course in USA.  You may also develop good personal relationship with your potential Telemarketing customers during your stay in USA. Your large friendship circle with American students will also help you in future Life.

Build your huge assets with good human interpersonal friendly relationship; you will never be poor in Life. Plan your immigration within your resources, you will be always successful. Do what you can easily perform. There is no shortcut to research and hard work. Good Luck to all International Students.

U.S. Department of Justice
Immigration and Naturalization Service
425 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20536

HQADN 70/11

MEMORANDUM FOR:

ALL REGIONAL DIRECTORS,
ALL DISTRICT DIRECTORS (INCLUDING FOREIGN),
ALL OFFICERS IN CHARGE (INCLUDING FOREIGN),
ALL SERVICE CENTER DIRECTORS,
FLETC,
ARTE A

FROM:

Michael D. Cronin
Acting Executive Associate Commissioner
Office of Programs

SUBJECT:    Guidance on Parentage Testing for Family-Based Immigrant Visa Petitions

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) field offices on parentage testing to establish a claimed relationship for benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Such testing may be appropriate to establish a parental relationship in support of a petition for a child, son, or daughter (Form I-130). The procedures discussed in this memorandum may also apply to establishing the biological parent of a foreign-born adopted child to support an orphan petition (Form I-600) or to establishing a parental relationship for citizenship cases (Form N-600). In addition, these procedures may be used to establish a parental relationship for refugee and asylum relative petitions (Form I-730). This memorandum has the concurrence of the Office of Policy and Planning and the Office of the General Counsel.
Authority to Require Parentage Testing

A petitioner must establish eligibility for a requested immigration benefit. An application or petition must be filed with any initial evidence required by regulation or by the form instructions. Any evidence submitted is considered part of the relating petition or application and may establish eligibility. 8 CFR 103.2(b)(1).

In the case of a petition for a child, son, or daughter, the petitioner must provide evidence of the claimed relationship. 8 CFR 204.2(d)(2). The initial evidence for a child, son, or daughter includes a birth certificate. When a birth certificate is unavailable, the petitioner must demonstrate that it is not available and submit secondary evidence, such as a baptismal certificate, or church or school records. If the petitioner demonstrates that both initial and secondary evidence is unavailable, two or more affidavits may be substituted. However, the unavailability of a birth certificate creates a presumption of ineligibility for the benefit, and any alternative evidence submitted must be evaluated for its authenticity and credibility. 8 CFR 103.2(b)(2)(i) and 204.2(d)(2)(v).

A director may also require that Blood Group Antigen or Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) blood parentage testing be conducted on the child, son, or daughter and putative mother and father to establish eligibility for a benefit. 8 CFR 204.2(d)(2)(vi). Statistical analysis of these tests provides a likelihood of parentage. These test results will often establish or disprove the claimed parental relationship. Since blood parentage testing can be a valuable tool to verify a relationship, it may generally be required when initial and secondary forms of evidence have proven insufficient to prove a claimed relationship. As a result of technological advances, field offices should be aware that Blood Group Antigen and HLA tests are no longer widely available for testing by laboratories, and are not considered to be as reliable as DNA tests.

Although a director may require blood parentage testing, he or she has no statutory or regulatory authority to require DNA testing. However, when initial and secondary forms of evidence have proven inconclusive and blood parentage testing does not clearly establish the claimed parental relationship, field offices may have no alternative to suggesting DNA testing as a means of establishing the relationship. The petitioner has the burden of proof when the evidence submitted has not satisfied his evidentiary threshold and the INS would otherwise deny the petition without more conclusive evidence such as that which DNA testing could provide. In such cases, field offices should inform the petitioner that: 1) DNA testing is absolutely voluntary; 2) the costs of DNA testing and related expenses (such as doctor’s fees and the cost of transmitting testing materials and blood samples) must be borne exclusively by the petitioner; and 3) submitting to DNA testing is in no way a guarantee of the approval of the petition.

Field offices should keep in mind that no parentage testing, including DNA testing, is 100 percent conclusive. Therefore, due to the expense, complexity and logistical problems and sensitivity inherent in parentage testing, offices should be extremely cautious when requiring blood testing or suggesting DNA testing as a means of establishing a claimed parental relationship.

While blood testing is not and should not be a routine part of the adjudications process, it can be an extremely valuable tool in cases when it otherwise would be impossible to verify a relationship. Parentage blood tests involve laboratory procedures performed on blood samples or other genetic material obtained from the child and putative parent or parents. The statistical analysis of the blood test provides a likelihood of parentage if the putative parent is not excluded. The likelihood of parentage is greater with increased information. Increasing the number of genetic testing systems tested provides stronger results, while the absence of information diminishes the strength of results. Officers should be aware that parentage testing is an extremely fact-driven procedure. A laboratory may more accurately determine what tests to run based on specific facts. A more accurate answer will be provided by the laboratory if the Officer provides the laboratory with suspicions of fraud or other pertinent facts.
Minimum Standards

Parties tested: The most accurate results are received when the alleged mother, father and child available for testing. However, testing of only the mother and child or father and child are also acceptable.

Statistical probability: All tests must produce a 99.5% statistical probability for the conclusion of results to establish parentage. Laboratories can continue with a battery of tests until a 99.5% conclusion of parentage is established. After testing the samples from all parties, laboratories will produce a conclusion of parentage which will inform field offices which tests were administered and the conclusion for the results they obtained.

Preferred test: The preferred test is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test drawn with a buccal swab or a PCR test based on a blood sample.

Please see below for a more detailed explanation of the parentage testing process and procedures.
Blood Testing

Blood consists of red and white blood cells, platelets and liquid plasma. Each component of the blood contains several antigens or “markers.” The blood group antigens are structures on the surface of the blood cells that help to distinguish individuals within a population. The antigens, inherited from the parents, are controlled by genes on a pair of chromosomes. Each parent contributes one of each chromosome pair carrying the genes that determine the detectable properties of an offspring’s blood. The presence of a specific antigen indicates a particular genetic composition or marker. Conclusions in parentage blood testing are based upon the principle that the child inherits genetic markers in his or her blood from each of his or her biological parents.

Conventional Blood Tests

There are four basic tests used in conventional blood testing: 1) basic red cell antigens (ABO, MN, CcDEe); 2) extended red cell antigens; 3) white cell antigens (HLA); 4) and red cell enzymes and serum proteins. The laboratory begins by conducting the first test. If parentage cannot be ruled out based on the results of the first test, the laboratory will conduct the second test. The process continues until either the putative parent can be entirely excluded or a good statistical probability is established that the relationship is bona fide.

DNA Testing

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) parentage testing provides an alternative to more conventional parentage blood testing methods. DNA testing can be especially useful in countries with limited medical and transportation facilities because, unlike HLA testing, it does not require the use of live human blood cells, which must be tested within just a few days, and are sometimes difficult to obtain. DNA parentage testing can often provide conclusive results even when not all parties are available for testing.

Officers should be aware that parentage testing technology changes rapidly. Whereas HLA blood testing was widely used until 1994, it is now rarely used. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) tests which have been widely used since 1994 are now being phased out by laboratories in the U.S. The DNA test which is most recommended for use in parentage testing is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. Although DNA testing has traditionally been accomplished through blood testing, buccal (mouth or cheek cavity) swabs are an alternative to drawing blood for testing. Cells are drawn from the inside cheek using a long cotton swab. As opposed to blood testing, buccal swab testing does not require the assistance of a physician, and is non-invasive. Nevertheless, it is recommended that only a person specially trained to collect a tissue sampling perform the procedure in order to ensure the quantity is sufficient for testing.

Parentage Testing Procedures

The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) accredits parentage-testing laboratories for a 2-year period.[1][1]   The current list of AABB accredited parentage testing laboratories is attached to this memorandum. Offices may accept parentage-testing results only from laboratories on this list. The current AABB list does not include any laboratories located overseas, however, the AABB does expect to begin accreditation of laboratories located overseas soon. Therefore, foreign offices should not accept test results from local parentage testing laboratories until the local laboratory has received accreditation from the AABB. The burden of proof is on the petitioner to show that the laboratory chosen is accredited by the AABB.

When a field office requires blood testing or suggests DNA testing, it should provide the petitioner with the list of AABB accredited laboratories. Field offices should be aware that the state designations on the list are for laboratory headquarters. Many laboratories have collection sites in many different states and locations. The petitioner must select a laboratory, contact the laboratory directly, and make the necessary arrangements for conducting the tests. To assure the integrity of the test results, all stages of parentage testing must be conducted under appropriate safeguards. These safeguards must include strict controls concerning: 1) protection of the chain of custody of blood or tissue samples; 2) identification of the parties to be tested, generally by photographing individuals being tested; and 3) correct presentation of test results.

Communication should be directly between the laboratory and the civil surgeon or panel physician or the field office. Under no circumstances should a third party, including the individuals being tested, be permitted to carry or transport blood or tissue samples or test results. Since the applicant bears full financial responsibility for testing, the Service has no objection to that person receiving a copy of the test results from the laboratory or panel physician. It is imperative that the same facility test both the alleged child and the alleged parent(s). Where the petitioner is physically present in the U.S., a U.S.-based lab must conduct the tests and relay the results. Instructions usually require the participation of a witness, identification taken from all (adult) parties involved, and photographs taken of all parties.

Analysis of Test Results

In all cases of parentage testing, laboratories should provide the statistical probability for the conclusion for the results they obtain. Offices should use the following interpretations of the plausibility of parentage to analyze test results. In general, AABB standards mandate 99 percent to be the minimum requirement for the proof of parentage. However, this statement does not mean that all test results 99 percent and higher should be accepted as conclusive proof of parentage, or that all test results below 99 percent exclude parentage. The type of parentage test performed, the genetic profile of the local population, and facts specific to the case will all affect the percentage that an office should require to establish a parental relationship. Field offices should provide laboratories with non-genetic evidence which may affect the lab’s assumptions in performing the testing, analysis of the results or the number of genetic markers tested.

Plausibility of Parentage (Percent) and  Interpretation

99.80% – 99.90%:  Practically Proved

99.1% – 99.80%:  Extremely Likely

95% – 99%:  Very Likely

90% – 95%:  Likely

80% – 90%:  Undecided

Less than 80%: Not Useful

Please note that in societies where interfamily marriage is common, close relatives will share many genetic markers and the test results of an aunt, uncle, or grandparent of a beneficiary may appear to establish the claimed parental relationship. The statistics used in paternity testing are designed for evaluating an alleged father as compared to unrelated men. Unlike the random population where persons may share genetic markers by chance, related men will share genetic markers by descent. First degree relatives, such as father, brother or son, will share 50% of their genetic material on average. Therefore, directors should consult with local physicians and parentage testing laboratories, and consider local fraud patterns, to determine the appropriate tests and particular test results to reliably establish the parental relationship in questionable cases. Officers should ask labs to calculate both a father-child and uncle-child or sibling relationship in these cases and should examine reports provided by the laboratory to ensure that sufficient testing was done to distinguish between family members. Officers should feel free to contact the laboratory for clarification if the lab’s findings are inconclusive. Labs are able to conduct tests on additional genetic markers if necessary to resolve inconclusive cases.

[1][1] The accreditation standards were developed by the committee on parentage testing of the AABB under a grant from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Department of Health and Human Services and with the assistance of special consultants and representatives from the American Bar Association, American Medical Association, American Society of Clinical Pathologists, American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics and the College of American Pathologists.