Methodology — how we research, verify, and update procedural information

Methodology

This page documents the specific research and verification methodology behind every MigrantUSA page. It complements our Editorial standards which cover policy.

Source identification

For every topic, we identify the authoritative primary source first.

Federal procedural content

State procedural content

Consular content

For each origin country represented (12 Hispanic countries at launch), the authoritative source is that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Cancilleria, plus its consulate websites for US-located consulates.

Verification process

1. Draft creation — content is researched against primary sources and drafted with all citations recorded in the page’s source_urls frontmatter field.
2. Specifics verification — every dollar amount, deadline, form code, phone number, address, and procedural step is re-checked against the live primary source. If a primary source has been updated since drafting, the page is updated to match before publication.
3. Cross-reference — for state-specific topics, a Tier 2 source (Tax Foundation, AILA, AAP, etc.) is cross-checked against the Tier 1 agency source. Discrepancies are noted in the body.
4. Bilingual parity — the equivalent Spanish (or English) sibling page is verified to contain identical factual claims. Translation preserves agency terminology, form codes, and statute references exactly.
5. Publication with Trust Box — page goes live with visible Last Verified date, source agency citation, and “verify with the issuing agency before taking action” reminder.
6. Re-verification — every 90 days minimum, every page is re-verified against current primary sources.

Automated source monitoring (how our updates stay current)

A significant portion of our verification work is automated. The infrastructure that monitors primary sources runs continuously and feeds prioritized re-verification queues to our editorial process:

The automated monitors produce change-flagged pages that editorial reviews on a priority queue. Pages with no flagged change still re-verify on the 90-day cycle minimum.

Editorial update triggers (human review)

Beyond the automated monitors, accelerated re-verification is triggered by:

• USCIS Policy Manual updates — within 7 days
• USCIS form revision — within 7 days of new form version posted
• USCIS fee schedule change — within 24 hours of effective date
• IRS form/instruction revision affecting ITIN procedures — within 7 days
• State agency contact change — within 30 days when discovered
• State tax law change — within 30 days of legislative effective date
• Federal court decision affecting immigration procedure — within 14 days
• Reader-reported error — within 7 days of receipt (see Corrections policy)

State-specific vs federal-uniform information

Some procedural information is federal-uniform — it applies the same in all 50 states (e.g., USCIS Form I-485 fee, IRS ITIN application procedure). Federal-uniform information is verified once and applied across all pages.

Other procedural information is state-specific — it varies by jurisdiction (state tax rates, DMV fees, state Medicaid eligibility limits). State-specific information requires per-state verification against each state’s agency.

We mark state-specific pages with a state: frontmatter field to enable per-state verification cycles.

Bilingual accuracy methodology

The bilingual nature of MigrantUSA creates specific accuracy risk: translations can silently drift if not verified. Our methodology:

• Form codes preserved exactly (e.g., “Form I-485” stays “Formulario I-485” — never localized to “Solicitud I-485”)
• Agency names preserved with explanation (“USCIS” stays “USCIS”, explained as “Servicios de Ciudadania e Inmigracion” first reference)
• Fees and dates identical between EN and ES siblings (audit script flags discrepancies)
• Legal nuance preserved — when a US legal concept has no Spanish equivalent (e.g., “Adjustment of Status”), we use the English term with Spanish definition rather than a misleading “translation”
• Disclaimer parity — every English disclaimer has a Spanish equivalent saying the same thing legally

Limitations and disclaimers

What our methodology cannot do:

• Predict policy changes — if Congress, USCIS, or a state agency changes a rule between our last verification and your read, our page may be out of date. The Last Verified date tells you when we last checked.
• Replace personalized legal advice — we describe how procedures work categorically. Whether a procedure applies to YOUR specific situation requires a licensed attorney’s review.
• Guarantee outcomes — procedural information does not predict government decisions. Following our guidance is not a guarantee of any specific outcome (USCIS approval, IRS acceptance, state benefit eligibility).
• Cover every jurisdiction — we focus on US federal + 50 US states + DC + Puerto Rico + 12 Hispanic origin countries’ consulates in the US. Other countries’ consulates and other US territories may not have dedicated coverage at launch.

These limitations are stated explicitly on every page’s disclaimer line and in our default Trust Box.

Updated: 2026-05-25. Our methodology evolves as we learn from reader feedback and from observed drift between source agencies and reality. Material changes to methodology will be noted with the change date here.