Family Immigration Checklist

Summary. Everything, in the order it happens.

Part 1 — Category and wait

Petitioner's status confirmed: U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Relationship confirmed and documented
Category determined:

Citizen petitioner: spouse · child under 21 unmarried · parent (petitioner 21+) = immediate relative, no wait · unmarried adult son/daughter = F1 · married son/daughter = F3 · sibling (petitioner 21+) = F4

Permanent resident petitioner: spouse or child under 21 = F2A · unmarried adult son/daughter = F2B · married child, parent, sibling = no category

Country of chargeability identified — generally the beneficiary's country of birth
Cross-chargeability checked (spouse's or parent's country of birth, if shorter)
Current visa bulletin consulted; approximate wait noted
Decision: file now regardless of the wait — the priority date starts at filing

Statutory categories: 8 U.S.C. § 1153 · definitions: § 1101

Part 2 — Admissibility screen (before filing anything)

Screen the beneficiary against every item. Grounds are at 8 U.S.C. § 1182.

Any entry without inspection, ever — dates
Any period in the U.S. without status — exact dates and total
Any departure after 180+ days without status
Any reentry without admission after a year or more of unlawful presence — the harshest bar
Any removal order, deportation, expedited removal, or voluntary departure
Any arrest, charge, or conviction, anywhere, ever — certified dispositions ordered
Any prior visa or application denial
Any claim to U.S. citizenship on any form — generally no waiver
Any voting or voter registration in the U.S.
Any use of a false document or another identity
Any prior marriage not properly terminated
Any communicable disease or missing vaccinations
Any prior immigration filing the beneficiary did not personally review

If any box is checked → consultation with a licensed immigration attorney before filing.

Part 3 — File the petition

Procedure: 8 U.S.C. § 1154 · 8 C.F.R. Part 204

Petitioner's status proof: birth certificate / naturalization certificate / U.S. passport / green card
Relationship proof:
- Spouse: marriage certificate + termination of every prior marriage for both parties + bona fides
- Parent/child: birth certificate, plus additional proof for step, adopted, or legitimated relationships
- Sibling: both birth certificates showing a common parent
Translations with certification of accuracy for every non-English document
Correct current fee
Signed
Complete copy retained
Filed and proof of filing kept

On receipt:

Priority date recorded in three places (paper, digital, and with a second person)
Receipt number recorded
Receipt notice photographed and emailed to yourself

Part 4 — Marriage bona fides (start immediately, continue annually)

Create one folder per year and add:

Joint tax return or transcript
Joint bank/credit account statements showing real activity
Lease or mortgage statement, both names
Insurance declarations naming each other
Beneficiary designations
Utility bills in both names, one per quarter
Photographs from the year, with other people, at identifiable events
Travel records together
Correspondence addressed to both
Children's birth certificates as they arrive
Affidavits from people who know you — specific detail, not identical form letters

Part 5 — Maintaining a preference case during the wait

Address changes reported to the agency every time, within the deadline
Address changes reported to the National Visa Center once the case is there
Visa bulletin checked quarterly
Relationship evidence added annually
Passports kept from expiring, and expired ones never discarded

Category-changing events — evaluate BEFORE they happen:

Petitioner naturalizes → F2A converts to immediate relative (faster) · F2B converts to F1 (sometimes slower — election to remain in F2B available)
Beneficiary marries → F1 becomes F3 (survives) · F2B is revoked unless the petitioner naturalized first
Beneficiary divorces → F3 may convert to F1
Child approaches 21 → Child Status Protection Act calculation run
Petitioner dies → humanitarian reinstatement and substitute sponsor evaluated immediately

Child Status Protection Act:

Age at visa availability minus petition pending time computed
If under 21: permanent residence sought within ONE YEAR of visa availability — this requirement is where protection is lost
If aged out: alternate path researched now, not later

Part 6 — Choosing the path

Adjustment of status (8 U.S.C. § 1255 · 8 C.F.R. Part 245)

Lawful entry confirmed — inspection and admission, or parole
Status maintained, or an exception applies (immediate relatives generally excepted)
Visa immediately available
Work authorization and advance parole requested with the application, if wanted
Advance parole travel risk checked with counsel before any trip

Consular processing

Understood: departure triggers the unlawful presence bars — 3 years (180+ days) / 10 years (1 year+)
If unlawful presence exists, provisional waiver evaluated and approved BEFORE departure
Qualifying relative confirmed: U.S. citizen or LPR spouse or parent — NOT a child
No travel booked until the waiver is approved

Part 7 — National Visa Center (consular cases)

Immigrant visa fee paid
Affidavit of support fee paid
Agent of choice designated
Application form completed for each applicant

Civil documents, per applicant:

Passport biographic page, valid well past anticipated entry
Birth certificate, long form, both parents shown
Marriage certificate
Divorce decrees / death certificates for every prior marriage, both spouses
Police certificates from every qualifying country of residence
Court and prison records for every arrest, regardless of outcome
Military records where applicable
Complete translations with certification of accuracy
Country reciprocity information checked for what is actually obtainable
Certification of unavailability + secondary evidence where a document does not exist

Sequencing:

Slow documents (foreign birth certificates, police certificates, foreign court records) ordered 12–18 months early

Part 8 — Affidavit of support

Petitioner signs, regardless of income
Household size computed: sponsor + dependents + immigrant + anyone previously sponsored
Income compared to the current poverty-guideline percentage for that household size
If short, one of: assets at the required multiple · household member income with a signed contract · joint sponsor qualifying independently
Most recent federal return or transcript (three years is stronger)
W-2s, current pay statements, employer letter
Asset documentation where used
U.S. domicile established — required, and a real issue for petitioners abroad
Every signer briefed: the obligation is enforceable, survives divorce, and ends only on defined events

Part 9 — Medical examination

Designated civil surgeon (adjustment) or panel physician (consular) — not your own doctor
Vaccination records located and brought
Vaccination waiver requested if medically contraindicated or on religious/moral grounds
Any condition likely to raise an issue discussed with counsel first
Validity period noted — an expired exam must be redone at full cost

Part 10 — The interview

Appointment notice
All passports
Originals of every civil document
Complete copy of everything filed
Updated affidavit of support financials if a year has passed
Relationship evidence, tabbed, with an index
Interpreter arranged if permitted and needed
Accommodation requested in advance if needed

In marriage cases, be ready for: how you met · daily routine · who pays which bills · recent holidays · each other's family · the home you share

Answer truthfully; answer only what is asked; say so if you do not remember
Never rehearse a false account — it is a federal offense with a permanent bar

Part 11 — Requests for evidence, refusals, denials

RFE deadline calendared the day it arrives
Every numbered item answered in order, completely
Sent with delivery confirmation, proof kept
Consular refusal sheet read exactly; only what it names provided; stated procedure followed
Petition denial: appeal or motion deadline calendared immediately
Adjustment denial: renewal in removal proceedings evaluated with counsel
Inadmissibility refusal: waiver availability and qualifying relative confirmed

Part 12 — After approval

Entry made before the visa expires
Green card receipt confirmed; followed up if it does not arrive
If conditional (marriage under two years old at grant): ninety-day window before the second anniversary calendared the day the card arrives
Joint petition to remove conditions filed in that window with two more years of bona fides
If the marriage ended: waiver of joint filing requested on good faith · battery or extreme cruelty · or extreme hardship
Naturalization eligibility date calculated and calendared