We often meet people who have been in the United States for twenty years and have almost no paperwork. It makes everything harder and slower. Here is what to keep and why.
Your A-Number
If the government has ever opened an immigration file on you, you have a number. It usually starts with the letter A and has nine digits.
Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. It is how the government finds your file. Having it saves weeks.
Papers worth keeping forever
- Anything from immigration with a receipt number on it. These confirm something was filed and when.
- Any notice telling you to come somewhere — court, an interview, fingerprints.
- Your entry record, if you were given one when you arrived.
- Your passport, including old and expired ones. The stamps inside matter.
- Your work permit, including expired ones.
- Anything with a deadline on it. Bring these to us immediately.
- Birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers, and the same for your children.
- Any paper from a court, including criminal court, even if the case was dismissed.
Keep them in one place. A folder, a box, an envelope. Take photos on your phone as a backup, and email the photos to yourself.
If someone filed for you, you are owed copies
This matters, so we will say it plainly.
If anyone — a lawyer, an office, a person a friend recommended — files something for you, you should receive a copy of everything that was sent in, and every receipt that came back.
If someone will not give you copies, will not tell you what was filed, or asks you to sign a blank form, stop. Those are warning signs. Get a second opinion before you pay anything more.
In the United States, only a licensed attorney or an accredited representative recognized by the Department of Justice may give you legal advice about your case. A notary, or notario público, is not a lawyer here, even if that word means something different in your home country.
If your papers are lost
It is not the end. Papers get lost in moves, in floods, in leaving somewhere quickly. There is a way to request your file from the government, and we do this often. It takes time, so the sooner we start, the better.
What to bring to your first meeting
Bring what you have. Do not wait until you have everything — most people never do, and waiting costs you time.
An attorney can usually tell you a great deal from a passport, one notice, and your own account of what happened. Start with a free 15-minute screening call, and bring whatever is in the folder.