How to get your immigration records from the government

You may want or need a copy of your immigration records from the government for many reasons. Whatever the purpose, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives you the right to access that information, regardless of your immigration status. However, FOIA does allow the government to withhold some records from disclosure so you might not receive 100% of your records.

There are several agencies that may have your immigration records so you might need to make several FOIA requests to get as many of your records as possible. Here are the links to FOIA request procedures for some of these agencies:

FOIA request to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

FOIA request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

FOIA request to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

I hope this article helps you understand basic immigration requirements, but please don’t consider it as legal advice or legal opinion about your specific circumstances. Evaluation of your case from an experienced immigration lawyer should be part of your immigration prescription.

For legal advice and guidance for your unique situation, you are invited to schedule an immigration strategy session with me.