Bringing a family member or friend as an interpreter to a status adjustment interview before the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could cost a Cuban immigrant their residency. This is the warning from immigration attorney Willy Allen III in a program on CiberCuba hosted by Tania Costa, where he answers audience questions about the most common immigration procedures.
The point arose when a listener asked about the risks of bringing their cousin as a sponsor to an interview for . Allen III clarified that having a known sponsor, even a close relative, does not pose a significant obstacle. "If the sponsor is a known individual, that person should not have any issues. They will likely be asked questions about the sponsor. But if it's your cousin, I don't know, there probably won't be a problem."
However, the lawyer took the opportunity presented by the question to issue a warning that he considers much more urgent: the mistake of the improvised interpreter.
"You need to bring a translator. And not your cousin, your father, your brother, your sister... Hire a professional who works as a translator or interpreter," emphasized Allen III.
The lawyer explained that he has seen this mistake happen repeatedly, always with negative consequences. In one of those cases, the situation reached a breaking point. "I don't know how many times our lawyers have gone to an interview with someone who brought their cousin or friend to translate. We've seen that it’s a disaster. On one occasion, we were fortunate that the interviewer, the USCIS officer, decided to call in a translator of her own. We were lucky."
The warning is particularly significant at this moment. USCIS published in May 2026 the memorandum PM-602-0199, which tightened the adjustment of status and established that meeting the technical requirements no longer guarantees approval. Cuban Adjustment interviews, which had been paused, resumed following a judicial ruling on June 5, 2026, but are experiencing delays of between six and eight months.
In that scenario, an error during the interview has more serious consequences than before. USCIS does not provide an interpreter in status adjustment interviews at its offices, according to the USCIS Policy Manual, so the responsibility to bring one falls entirely on the applicant. Furthermore, the attorney for the case cannot act as an interpreter at the same time, and the officer has the discretion to reject the proposed interpreter if they believe that person does not meet the requirements.
The interpreter must sign the USCIS Form G-1256 under oath before the interview begins, and they must be over 18 years old, fluent in English and in the applicant's language, impartial, and competent. An untrained family member may make translation errors, add opinions, or fail to reproduce the answers literally, which can seriously harm the case.
In a previous warning, Allen had already pointed out that Cuban parolees will face intense questioning in their adjustment interviews, including questions about their sponsors, and he advised always attending with a lawyer and interpreter of their own.
For those applying for residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act, the recommendation is clear: hire a certified professional before the appointment, regardless of how much they trust the English-speaking relative.
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