Immigration Practice Areas > Green Cards > What Documentation Do You Need Before You Apply for a Green Card?
If you are applying for a green card, you'll need several types of documents to prove your case to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS. This guide explains them all.
You may not need all of these documents (for example, you won’t need a marriage certificate if you’re applying as an immigrant investor, and you won’t need proof of an employment offer if you’re applying for a marriage-based green card).
However, this list will get you started in collecting the right documentation for your USCIS green card application:
A Word on Translating DocumentsIf you have foreign language documents, it is your responsibility to have them translated into English before submitting them to USCIS. For example, a foreign birth certificate must be translated into English before USCIS will consider it a valid part of your petition. Further, any translations you submit must also be accompanied by a certification letter. You, a friend or family member, or a professional translation service can translate all the documents you submit to USCIS. However, anyone who translates for you (or you, if you do it yourself) must be fluent in both English and the language the document is written in, and the certification letter must say so.
In some cases, you need multiple different types of documents to provide sufficient proof to USCIS. The following sections explain what constitutes as proof for a bona fide marriage, funds for an investment, lawful entry in the United States, your current immigration status, and your sponsor’s citizenship or lawful permanent resident status.
There are several documents that can help you prove to USCIS that you are engaged in a genuine marriage. That means showing the government that you didn't simply marry for an immigration benefit. The USCIS official in charge of your case will look at your documentation very carefully to determine whether your marriage is genuine, and they'll look at your application to double-check your answers during the interview. If the USCIS official suspects that you are not being honest about the validity of your marriage, your petition could be denied.
Here's a list of some of the documents and items you can use to prove the validity of your marriage:
Generally, you'll need to provide proof of funds for an investment in a U.S. company if you are attempting to obtain a green card on the basis of entrepreneurship. You can do this by submitting bank statements, tax documents and other financial information. Your attorney can let you know exactly what the United States government needs from you in order to process your application.
You can prove lawful entry into the United States by showing a copy of your I-94 travel record. The I-94 is a document that you receive from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer upon inspection when you enter the United States through a lawful port of entry. You can also show your passport page with your admission or parole stamp, a passport page that shows your nonimmigrant visa, or if you're from Mexico, your border crossing card. You may need to accompany these documents with the declaration stating the date that you entered the United States, where you entered, and the circumstances surrounding your entry. Your attorney can give you more specific items if you don't have proof of lawful entry into the United States.
You can verify your current immigration status with a number of documents, including a re-entry permit, a refugee travel document, an employment authorization document or an alien registration number. Your attorney can advise you of the appropriate documentation to prove your current immigration status in the United States.
You can prove your sponsor citizenship with a birth certificate or passport or prove lawful permanent resident status with a copy of your sponsor's green card. Your attorney can help give you guidance on the appropriate documentation for this requirement.
If your spouse is deceased but you're applying for a marriage-based green card, you'll still need to prove that you were married and that your spouse was a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. That may include your marriage certificate and a death certificate.
Likewise, in limited circumstances, people who are divorced from their spouses may still apply for marriage based green cards; if that’s your situation, you'll need to provide all the documentation necessary to prove that you were engaged in a bona fide marriage and that you are currently divorced. These are both rare situations, so if either one applies to you, you should speak to an immigration attorney.
The following are the various types of green card petitions that may require different documentation. If you’re not sure which documents you’ll need to support your petition, you should speak to your immigration attorney – your lawyer can give you the guidance you need.
Your attorney can tell you which documents you need to submit based on the type of petition you're filing. For example, if you are looking for a marriage based green card, you'll need a specific set of documents and proof to show USCIS that you are engaged in a bona fide (genuine) marriage. Likewise, if you're an investor, you'll need specific financial documents to show USCIS how you qualify to make an investment.
If you are not sure what documents you need to provide, or which documents will satisfy USCIS requirements, we're here to help. Call our office or contact us online now to schedule your free consultation with an experienced, caring and committed immigration attorney who can put you on the right path.
Davis & Associates is the immigration law firm of choice in Texas including Dallas Fort Worth, Houston and surrounding areas. Our attorneys provide expert legal counsel for all aspects of immigration law, including deportation defense, writs of habeas corpus and mandamus, family-sponsored immigration, business-sponsored Immigration, permanent residence and more.
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