Important Documents

• Immigration history documents. This includes copies of all past applications you’ve filed, receipts, the decisions you received
  • You may need to contact your past attorney, nonprofit agency, or relative who sponsored you to receive a copy of your file
  • If you or they don’t have the file, you may need to apply for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get a copy of your records from the government
• If you immigrated through a spouse, bring documents to prove you are living together, such as:
  • Joint tax returns
  • Bank statements
  • Rental leases
  • Mortgages
  • Your children’s birth certificates

• Your Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
• Other names you’ve used:
  • If your name changed due to a change in marital status, bring your marriage certificate or divorce decree
  • If your name changed any other reason, bring your court order
• For men between 18-26 years old, bring proof of US Selective Service registration. You can verify registration at www.sss.gov
• If you were arrested, detained, convicted, or cited for any offense,anywhere in the world, including traffic and dismissed offenses, you will need to bring certified court records.
  • Parking offenses are excluded from this requirement

A list of what to bring and where to find court records can be found here.

• All current and previous home addresses for the last five years
• All current and previous employment for the last five years: occupation, employer, dates, addresses
  • If you have been unemployed for any reason (e.g. travel, homemaker, retirement, etc), list those time periods as well
• All international travel dates and documents for the last five years, including:
  • Dates traveled outside of the US (Month/Day/Year)
  • Countries visited
  • Passports, travel itineraries, and tickets
• For any international trips that lasted 180 days (six months) or more, you will need to bring:
  • Copies of your re-entry permit(s)
  • Documents related to your reason for travel
  • Dates traveled outside of the US (Month/Day/Year)
  • Countries visited
  • Evidence of maintaining your home and job

• Tax and income documents, including:
  • Your most recent tax return
  • Your most recent W-2s and/or 1099s
  • Three most recent paystubs

• Proof of a tax payment plan and recent payments, if applicable
• If you receive public assistance (SNAP, food stamps, SSI, TANF, Medicaid, etc), bring your most recent, unexpired, award letter. The letter must show current eligibility for benefits and must be in English
  • You can request this letter from the office where you originally applied for the benefit, or any affiliated office
  • Note: money you receive from retirement, social security, and medicare are NOT public assistance. This is your money/benefits from having worked over the years which you are entitled to. Also, unemployment insurance is not a public benefit since you and/or your employer have paid into that system.
• To see if you qualify for a waiver or reduction of your application filing fee, use this online tool
  • You will need to include your award letter for any public benefits you are currently receiving, most recent tax returns, and any related documents when filing your request

• You children’s information:
  • Full name
  • Date(s) of birth
  • Location of birth (country)
  • Current address
  • Alien registration number
• Your current spouse’s information:
  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Location of birth
  • Alien registration number, social security number, and naturalization certificate number
  • Current address
  • The name of your spouse’s employer
• Your prior spouse(s)’ information (if applicable), and your spouse’s prior spouse’s information:
  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Citizenship status
  • Date of marriage
  • Date of divorce or death
  • Divorce decree
• Parenting plans (if applicable)
• Proof of alimony, child support orders and recent payments (if applicable)