What to Bring to Your First Immigration Consultation

An office consultation is not a USCIS appointment

A consultation is a private meeting with our office to review your situation and discuss possible options. It is different from a USCIS biometrics appointment, interview, or a hearing in immigration court, which are scheduled by the government through official notices.

Requesting or attending a consultation does not change, pause or extend any government deadline or hearing date. Keep following every official notice you have received.

1. Copies of identification

• Passport identity page and any visas (copies are fine for the first meeting)
• Any U.S.-issued documents you have, such as an I-94 record, work permit or green card
• Birth certificate or national ID from your home country, if available

2. Immigration notices and prior applications

If you are unsure whether a document matters, bring it. It is easier to set something aside than to schedule a second meeting to find it.

• Every letter or notice you have received from USCIS, the immigration court, ICE or a U.S. consulate
• Copies of any applications or petitions filed in the past, by you or for you, and their receipt or decision notices
• Any prior denial, refusal or removal-related paperwork, even if it seems old or unimportant

3. A factual timeline of your history

Write a simple list in date order. Approximate dates are acceptable — mark them as approximate rather than guessing an exact day.

• Each entry to and departure from the United States, and how you entered
• Addresses where you have lived in the U.S. and roughly when
• Any arrests, citations or court cases, in any country, with their outcomes
• Any prior contact with immigration officers at the border or inside the U.S.

4. Family documents, if available

• Marriage certificates and any divorce decrees
• Birth certificates of children
• Proof of a family member's U.S. citizenship or permanent residence, if your case may involve them

5. Court or hearing notices — with the dates they show

If you have a hearing notice, bring it exactly as you received it. Do not rely on memory for the date, time or court location; the notice itself is what our team needs to review.

Tell us about urgent situations when you book

If you or a family member has an upcoming hearing, a known deadline, or is currently detained, say so when you call or request a consultation so staff can take it into account when scheduling. Please also keep following your official notices in the meantime — requesting a consultation does not guarantee a same-day response.

Keep sensitive details out of the public contact form

Our website contact form is meant for short scheduling requests. Please do not type passport numbers, A-numbers, Social Security numbers or detailed case records into it. Bring those records to your consultation, or ask our staff for a secure way to send documents beforehand.

Questions worth asking at your consultation

• Which services might apply to my situation, and who on the team would handle them?
• How are fees structured, and what does each fee cover?
• What are the next steps after this meeting, and what should I gather next?
• How will the office communicate with me, and in which language?

Who can give immigration legal advice

USCIS explains that only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives working for recognized organizations may give immigration legal advice. Be cautious with anyone else who offers to choose forms or advise you on your case.

Official sources

• USCIS — Find legal services