How to Keep Your Own Immigration File
Almost everyone who has been through this discovers the same thing: the government copy of your history is harder to obtain than you would expect, and the copy you kept yourself is the one that gets used. This takes an hour to set up and then almost no effort.
Copy everything before it is sent
Every application, every supporting document, every cover letter, exactly as filed. A copy made after the fact is a reconstruction; a copy made before posting is a record. Keep proof of mailing or submission with it.
Keep every notice, including the ones that look routine
Receipt notices, appointment notices, biometrics notices, approvals, and anything asking for more evidence. The dull ones establish dates, and dates are frequently what a later question turns on.
Record your alien registration number somewhere findable
Not only on the phone. It is the single identifier that lets anyone — a lawyer, a family member trying to locate you — do anything useful, and it is the first thing asked for in an emergency.
Note who prepared each filing
If someone helped you, write down who, what they charged, and what they told you. If that person turns out not to have been authorized to give legal advice, this record is the beginning of doing something about it — and it also explains errors in a file that would otherwise look like your own.
Keep it somewhere a trusted person can reach
A file only you can access does not help if you are the one who is detained. Give a complete copy to whoever is named in your family plan, or keep one outside the house.
Update it when your address changes
There is an obligation to keep your address current with immigration, and it is one of the most consequential routine steps there is. A notice sent to an old address is still treated as delivered, and a missed hearing can end a case in your absence.
This applies in every state — but where you are still matters
The steps above are the same wherever you live. Which office and court handle your case, how detention works where you are, and how far local police cooperate with immigration enforcement are not. Pick your state for that.
Related
General information, not legal advice. Immigration law and policy change frequently — confirm your options in a consultation before acting on anything here.