Editorial standards — how MigrantUSA ensures accuracy and trust

Editorial standards

These standards govern how every page on MigrantUSA is researched, written, verified, and updated. We publish them openly so readers can hold us accountable.

Source tier policy

We rank information sources into three tiers. Every factual claim on MigrantUSA must be traceable to a Tier 1 source.

Tier 1 — official government publications (REQUIRED for factual claims)

• US federal agencies: USCIS, IRS, Social Security Administration, CDC (Civil Surgeon Technical Instructions), Department of State (travel.state.gov), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), Department of Homeland Security
• State agencies: state Department of Revenue, state DMV/Department of Public Safety, state Medicaid agencies, state Attorneys General
• Federal court opinions: published decisions of US Supreme Court, Circuit Courts, BIA
• Foreign government agencies (for consular procedures): Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores of each origin country

Tier 2 — established third-party authorities (acceptable for analysis, context)

• Tax Foundation, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
• HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration)
• Migration Policy Institute, American Immigration Council

Tier 3 — news and academic analysis (acceptable for context only, not factual claims)

• Reuters, AP, major newspapers for breaking policy news
• Peer-reviewed academic publications
• Reports from established NGOs and 501(c)(3) policy organizations

Tier 1 is REQUIRED for: fees, deadlines, agency contact information, form codes, eligibility criteria, procedural steps, dates, statistics, vaccine requirements. Tier 2 is acceptable for: context, analysis, comparative information, “best practices.” Tier 3 is acceptable for: background, current events, audience-relevant news.

Fact-check process

Every page goes through:

1. Research — primary-source identification by topic
2. Drafting — content built from Tier 1 source documents, with citations recorded in source_urls field
3. Verification — every fee, date, agency contact, and procedural claim re-checked against the live primary source
4. Bilingual mirror — equivalent Spanish page produced, verified for accuracy parity
5. Publication — page goes live with last_verified date in frontmatter and visible in Trust Box
6. Review cycle — re-verified every 90 days minimum

Review cycle

• Standard cycle: 90 days
• Accelerated trigger-based: within 7 days of:
  • USCIS fee schedule change
  • IRS form revision affecting ITIN procedures
  • State agency contact / fee change
  • Policy/regulation change affecting subject matter
• Last-verified date is displayed prominently on every page (top Trust Box + frontmatter)

Conflict of interest policy

• We disclose all affiliate relationships on any page containing affiliate links (FTC clear-and-conspicuous standard, at the top of the page).
• We do not accept payment for editorial content. No advertorial.
• Advertisers (Mediavine display ads) and affiliate partners cannot review, edit, or influence our coverage of their products or competitors.
• We do not accept payment from law firms, immigration consultants, or any organization that offers immigration legal services.
• We do not take government or political organization funding.

AI-assisted production disclosure

MigrantUSA uses AI tools (large language models) to assist with drafting, translation between English and Spanish, consistency-checking across our 6,000+ pages, and verification workflows. We disclose this because transparency about AI assistance is part of our editorial accountability.

What this means in practice:

• AI assists; humans decide. Every page is reviewed by a human editor against Tier 1 sources before publication. AI does not have publish authority.
• Translation parity. AI-generated translations between EN and ES are checked for terminology accuracy on legal and procedural terms.
• Hallucination prevention. All factual claims are verified against live Tier 1 sources at draft time and re-verified at each 90-day review cycle. AI suggestions that cannot be traced to a primary source are removed.
• Editorial responsibility is human. When errors occur (and they will — see Corrections policy), responsibility lies with the editorial team, not the AI tool.

Independence statement

MigrantUSA is operated independently. We do not:

• Receive funding from any government, political party, or political action committee
• Take editorial direction from advertisers or affiliate partners
• Refer users to specific attorneys, tax preparers, or immigration services for compensation
• Sell user data
• Operate as a front for any law firm or immigration services organization

We are funded by display advertising (Mediavine, post-launch) and affiliate commissions on consumer products (banking, tax software, etc.). All affiliate links are disclosed.

Updated: 2026-05-25. These standards apply to all content on MigrantUSA and are themselves reviewed annually.