Immigration DNA Testing in Allentown

Local Lab Service for Lehigh Valley Families Navigating USCIS Requests

When USCIS or a U.S. embassy requests genetic evidence to support a visa or immigration benefit application, you need a local lab you can walk into, not a mail-in kit. Fastest Labs of Lehigh Valley provides immigration DNA testing from a staffed facility in Allentown’s Shepherd Hills Center, with certified collectors, strict chain-of-custody procedures, and legally admissible results. We’ve served the Lehigh Valley area for over a decade, and we’re here to make a high-stakes process as straightforward as possible.

Immigration DNA testing verifies a biological relationship such as parent-child or sibling when standard documentation is unavailable, incomplete, or questioned. It’s commonly requested in connection with a family-based immigration petition, an immigrant visa application, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a U.S. passport application. DNA technology is the only non-documentary method accepted by U.S. immigration authorities for this purpose.

Ready to get started? Call us at (610) 947-4195 or walk in to our Allentown location. Appointments are also available.

Why Lehigh Valley Families Choose Fastest Labs of Lehigh Valley

A physical local lab matters for immigration DNA testing. Home test kits don’t meet USCIS chain-of-custody requirements, so results from them won’t be accepted. Our Allentown facility provides the documented, collector-supervised sample collection that immigration authorities require, performed by certified collectors trained in precision and confidentiality.

Fast Results & Accessible Service

Results are typically available within 2-3 days from the time the lab receives all samples. Our facilities are clean and comfortable, and we work to keep wait times under five minutes. Competitive pricing makes legally admissible immigration DNA testing accessible without the added burden of travel or delays.

Complex Cases & International Participants

We can assist with more complex situations, including cases involving individuals born abroad without U.S. citizenship. For beneficiaries located outside the country, we offer pre-arranged sample collection locations for individuals outside the U.S., coordinated alongside the domestic collection here in Allentown. Results are court admissible and upheld throughout the U.S., sent directly from the laboratory to the requesting immigration authority. When the process feels overwhelming, our staff are known for being friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.

Hear From Our Customers

“Friendly staff, easy to work with, will be sending all of our employees to them!”

- Mike F.

How Immigration DNA Testing Works at Our Allentown Lab

The process starts when you receive an official Request for Evidence (RFE) from USCIS, a written notice from a U.S. embassy, or a recommendation from a consular officer asking for biological relationship evidence. Don’t test before receiving that official request: preemptive testing doesn’t satisfy chain-of-custody requirements and may need to be repeated.

Once you have your RFE or official notice, here’s what to expect at FastestLabs:

Sample collection: Our certified collectors perform a non-invasive buccal (cheek) swab, which is fast and painless. The process takes only a few minutes at our Allentown facility.
Chain of custody: We maintain strict chain-of-custody documentation throughout collection and submission, which is required for results to be legally admissible.
Overseas participants: If a beneficiary is located abroad, their sample collection is overseen by the U.S. consular section at their location. We coordinate the domestic side here in Allentown.
Results delivery: Once laboratory analysis is complete, typically within 2-3 days of receiving all samples, results are sent directly to the requesting USCIS office or U.S. embassy, with a copy provided to the petitioner.

Submitting to DNA testing is voluntary and doesn’t guarantee visa issuance or approval of an immigration benefit. It provides the biological relationship evidence immigration authorities need to continue evaluating the petition.

Relationship Types We Test for Immigration Cases

The type of DNA testing you need depends on the relationship being verified. Our certified collectors at the Allentown lab can walk you through the right test for your specific immigration case. We offer the following for family-based immigration purposes:

Paternity/maternity testing: The most commonly requested test for immigration cases, used to confirm a biological parent-child relationship.
Full or half siblingship testing: Used when a sibling relationship is claimed and documentary evidence is unavailable or questioned.
Other relationship testing: We can assist with additional relationship types and complex cases, including situations involving individuals born abroad without citizenship.

USCIS and the U.S. Department of State most commonly request paternity, maternity, and sibling relationship testing. More distant relationships, such as grandparent-grandchild or avuncular connections, generally can’t be proven reliably through DNA testing alone under current immigration standards.

Schedule Your Immigration DNA Test in Allentown

We accept walk-ins and scheduled appointments at our Allentown location and serve families across the Lehigh Valley. Our certified collectors and knowledgeable staff are ready to answer your questions and guide you through each step.

Call Fastest Labs of Lehigh Valley today at (610) 947-4195 to schedule your immigration DNA testing appointment or to ask questions about what to expect.

Understanding Immigration DNA Testing Requirements

Immigration DNA testing is voluntary. USCIS and the U.S. Department of State may suggest it, but they can’t require it. The right trigger for starting the process is an official Request for Evidence (RFE), a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) from USCIS, or a written recommendation from a U.S. consular officer. Under USCIS policy updated in 2026, officers are now required to suggest DNA testing when a petitioner hasn’t met their burden of proof to establish a claimed genetic relationship.

Court Admissible & Accuracy Standards

USCIS requires that immigration DNA testing be performed by an AABB-accredited facility. AABB (now the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies) is the accrediting body whose standards govern the chain-of-custody and analytical procedures immigration authorities accept. Results from non-accredited labs or home test kits aren’t accepted, regardless of the technology used.

The accuracy standard for immigration DNA testing is a relationship probability of 99.5% or greater. Buccal swab collection is the preferred method for meeting this standard. It’s non-invasive, painless, and equally accurate to older collection methods.

We use facilities that are accredited by AABB to conduct legal, chain of custody testing.

Costs, Timelines, & Lehigh Valley Context

Costs of immigration DNA testing, including sample collection fees, are the responsibility of the petitioner and beneficiary. For international immigrant visa cases, the overall process, including overseas embassy coordination, can take six to eight weeks or longer from the time all samples are received. The 2-3 day laboratory turnaround at Fastest Labs reflects the domestic analysis window once all samples are in hand.

Lehigh County residents working through an immigration petition are served by the USCIS Philadelphia Field Office for case processing. Having a local Allentown collection site means you can complete the domestic portion of your testing without leaving the Lehigh Valley.

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