First meeting checklist

First meeting checklist

Who I am

• Passports, old and new (copies of every page with a stamp)
• Birth certificate and any translation
• IDs: consular ID, California ID, work permit, green card
• My A number, if I have one: ____________

How I came and what was filed

• Visas and my I-94 printout
• Every border or ICE paper
• Every USCIS letter and receipt
• Copies of every application filed for me, by anyone
• Every immigration court paper. Next hearing date: ____________

Family

• Marriage and divorce papers
• Children's birth certificates
• Proof of status for my spouse, children and parents

Records

• Final court papers for every arrest or ticket, even dismissed ones
• Police reports or protective orders if I was a crime victim
• Tax returns and a few papers from each year I have lived here

My notes

• One page timeline: entries, exits, stops, filings, arrests
• My questions, most important first
• Name and phone of the person I am meeting

Before I leave home

• Copies in a folder, in date order. Originals safe at home unless asked.
• No blank forms signed. No big payment without a written agreement.

Bring what you have. A missing paper is not a reason to miss the meeting.

From First Lawyer Meeting. Facts checked October 21, 2026. Free information, not legal or medical advice.