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Your case papers: keeping them safe and getting copies

Notices, cards and court papers prove your status and deadlines. They are easier to lose than to replace.

QARAVAN does not provide legal services. Discuss with an immigration lawyer what to carry and what to request from agencies.

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  • Report a new address to USCIS within 10 days and, if you have a court case, separately to the immigration court within 5 days on form EOIR-33.
  • Keep originals at home in one folder and send agencies copies: USCIS may destroy originals sent without being asked.
  • An adult who is not a US citizen must carry their registration document; ask a lawyer which of your papers that is.

Each paper has its own issuer, its own purpose and its own way to get a copy. Copies from your file and court record are requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Case papers: who issues them, why you need them and where to get a copy

Who issues itWhy you need itWhere to get a copy
USCIS notices (Form I-797, Notice of Action)USCIS (federal)Show that USCIS accepted, scheduled or decided your case; a copy of the latest notice is needed, for example, when you replace a work permitYour own copy; status and history are in your USCIS online account, copies from your file through USCIS FIRST
Work permit (EAD, Employment Authorization Document, Form I-766) and green card (Form I-551)USCIS (federal)Prove your permission to work and your permanent resident statusReplacement with forms I-765 and I-90
Entry record (Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record)CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a federal agency) or a USCIS asylum officeConfirms your entry into the United States and the basis on which you were admittedThe electronic record on the CBP website; if USCIS issued your I-94, ask USCIS for a replacement
Notice to Appear (Form I-862, the summons to immigration court)DHS (Department of Homeland Security, a federal department)The case in immigration court begins with this document; it may show the date of your hearingIn your EOIR case: the Respondent Access Portal (EOIR's online portal), a request to the court or FOIA
Immigration court notices and decisionsThe immigration court or the Board of Immigration Appeals (the appeals body for immigration cases)Show your hearing dates, deadlines and decisions in your caseRespondent Access Portal, a request for the Record of Proceeding to the court or FOIA to EOIR
Your own filings and evidenceYouShow exactly what you filed and whenOnly you: make a copy before you send

Copies save you when a letter is lost, a card is stolen or a lawyer needs a document fast.

  1. Put everything in one folder

    All notices, cards, court papers and postmarked envelopes. Start with the newest.

  2. Photograph or scan every page

    Capture both sides of cards and every page. USCIS wants clear copies: not blurry or faded, no streaks, not upside down or skewed, with no cut-off or covered text.

  3. Name the files so you can find them

    Start the file name with the date, then the type of paper, for example “2026-10-14 USCIS notice”. A year later you will find it in a minute.

  4. Keep copies in two places

    Keep copies on your phone and give a second set to someone you trust or your lawyer. Then losing your phone won't leave you without them.

  5. Copy everything you send

    Before mailing, copy the whole package, the payment form and the tracking number: that is how you check delivery.

  6. Send copies and keep the originals

    USCIS asks for originals only when the form instructions or the law require them. Originals sent without a request may be destroyed under federal records rules and are not returned automatically.

  • USCIS rules for papers you send by mail

    Any status

    USCIS requirements for copies, translations and envelopes. Documents in another language need a full English translation and a translator's certificate.

    uscis.gov

Notices of hearings, interviews and decisions come by mail. If an agency has your old address, you can miss a date or a request for documents.

  • Your new address for USCIS

    Any statusAsylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumGreen card

    Everyone who is not a US citizen reports a change of address to USCIS within 10 days (except A and G visa holders and Visa Waiver entrants). It is easiest in your USCIS online account (My Account), with each case number; paper form AR-11 also counts but does not update the systems automatically. A USPS change of address does not reach USCIS, and USPS does not forward USCIS mail, so change both.

    uscis.gov

  • Your USCIS online account

    Any statusAsylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumGreen card

    The account shows your case status and history, messages from USCIS and appointment notices; paper cases are added by receipt number. USCIS asks you not to share an account: it must be yours alone. When you create it you get a backup code for two-step verification: keep it somewhere safe.

    uscis.gov

  • Your new address for immigration court

    Asylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Any status

    If you have an immigration court case, tell the court your new address in writing within 5 days on form EOIR-33 (rule 8 CFR 1003.15(d)(2)). You can file it online without logging in.

    justice.gov

You request your USCIS file (A-File) under FOIA and the Privacy Act online, in the USCIS FIRST system through your USCIS account.

  1. Sign in to your USCIS online account

    If you don't have an account, create one. You will download the records there.

  2. Check the electronic reading room

    USCIS posts documents requested three or more times in its Electronic Reading Room. Yours may already be there.

  3. Choose a request for your own records

    Choose that you are requesting records about yourself. Each person, even a relative, needs a separate request: USCIS does not process joint ones.

  4. Give the details that identify you

    Full name, current address, date and place of birth are required. You can add your A-Number and parents' names: USCIS uses them only if it can't find records without them, and they must match the records.

  5. Follow the status in FIRST

    USCIS emails you when there is an update. Your account will show “Records Not Available” (none found or an error, file a new request) or “Records Available” (ready to download).

  • USCIS FIRST: requesting records online

    Any statusAsylum applicantsWith a work permit (EAD)Granted asylumGreen card

    FOIA and Privacy Act requests through your online account; ready records are downloaded there. The decision letter explains how to appeal; OGIS (Office of Government Information Services) can mediate between you and the agency.

    first.uscis.gov

  • A hearing in immigration court is coming up

    Asylum applicantsAny status

    Attach proof of the date: a Notice to Appear (I-862), form I-122 or I-863, a notice of a rescheduled hearing, or an ACIS printout. USCIS handles these requests first.

    uscis.gov

  • What usually is not in your USCIS file

    Any status

    The I-94 is rarely in the A-File: USCIS suggests getting it on the CBP website. Visa and passport return records are usually with the State Department; bond, medical and student records with ICE.

    i94.cbp.dhs.gov

  • Questions about a FOIA request

    Any status

    Check the status of your request at first.uscis.gov with the FOIA control number from your receipt, and email questions about it to foiapaquestions@uscis.dhs.gov. For questions about applications and your case, use your USCIS online account (myaccount.uscis.gov) or Emma, the USCIS virtual assistant, which can connect you to a live chat with an agent: uscis.gov/tools/meet-emma-our-virtual-assistant.

    uscis.gov

The court belongs to EOIR, which is not part of DHS, so DHS and USCIS forms and requests don't work for it. You can view and download your case in the Respondent Access Portal, or request copies from the court or through FOIA.

  1. Wait for the EOIR letter

    EOIR is opening the portal in stages and tells you by mailed letter when you can register. An adult without a lawyer whose case is not joined with a child's registers after the letter. If you have a lawyer, you can't register yet: the lawyer uses the ECAS Case Portal.

  2. Get a DOJ Login

    You need a DOJ Login account; the EOIR letter explains how to get one.

  3. Click Request Download

    To download your case (eROP), click Request Download: the copy is ready within 24 hours. The button doesn't work if your case records are paper only.

  4. If the record is on paper, ask the court

    Request the Record of Proceeding (ROP) from the court that has your case. Give your full name, date and place of birth, A-Number, which parts you need and how to deliver them (pickup, mail or email), and add a dated statement “under penalty of perjury”. Forms EOIR-59 and DOJ-361 help you include everything.

  • Respondent Access Portal

    Asylum applicantsAny status

    The portal shows your case, hearings and asylum clock; you download and file documents there: PDF, JPG and JPEG up to 25 MB, and EOIR serves DHS for you. Filing online is optional. It works in major browsers (best in Edge and Chrome) and on phones.

    justice.gov

  • ACIS: case status without an account

    Asylum applicantsAny status

    With your A-Number and country of citizenship, ACIS shows basic information about your case in court or at the BIA. Not every case or detail is available; only documents the court sends you or your representative are official.

    acis.eoir.justice.gov

  • A request for the ROP to the court

    Asylum applicantsAny status

    The respondent requests the Record of Proceeding from their own court; this is not FOIA. EOIR's page lists what to include, which forms work and how to email the request to the court.

    justice.gov

  • FOIA request to EOIR

    Any status

    If your case is closed and you have no portal access, request copies under FOIA through the Public Access Link (PAL) or by mail to EOIR's FOIA Service Center. EOIR suggests a signed form DOJ-361, or your full name, current address, date and place of birth with a notarized signature or a statement under penalty of perjury. The first 100 pages and 2 hours of search are free. EOIR decides within 20 business days, which can be extended to 30. Check the status in PAL.

    justice.govOffice of the General Counsel, Attn: FOIA Service Center, Executive Office for Immigration Review, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2150, Falls Church, VA 22041

  • Help with the portal

    Any status

    Portal questions: ECAS.techsupport@usdoj.gov. The Quick Reference Guide shows how to upload, download and view your case.

    justice.gov

  • The law on carrying a registration document

    Any status

    Under federal law (8 U.S. Code, section 1304(e)) everyone 18 or older who is not a US citizen must always carry the certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to them. The penalty is a fine up to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both. Which of your papers count depends on your status: decide with a lawyer what to carry and what to leave at home. Keep copies separately.

    law.cornell.edu

  • A paper is lost or damaged

    Any status

    For replacing a work permit, green card or I-94, see “Lost, damaged or wrong immigration documents”. Gather copies and your case number first: the form will need them.

A-Number
Alien Registration Number: your personal seven-to-nine-digit number in the immigration system, assigned by the federal department DHS; it appears on many of your documents.
A-File
Alien File: the file on your immigration case that holds the forms you filed and the decisions on them.
Notice of Action (Form I-797)
A USCIS notice that your case was accepted, scheduled or decided.
Receipt number
The number of your case at USCIS, shown on the notice that your filing was received; you use it to see the status and to change your address.
Notice to Appear (NTA)
Form I-862, the DHS document that starts a case in immigration court.
Respondent
The person against whom a case in immigration court is brought.
Record of Proceeding (ROP)
The record of your case in immigration court with all the documents filed and issued, called an eROP when it is electronic.
FOIA
The Freedom of Information Act: the law under which anyone may request records of a federal agency; about yourself, you request the records the agency keeps on you.
CFR
The Code of Federal Regulations, the collection of rules written by federal agencies; "8 CFR" is title 8, on aliens and nationality.
Statement under penalty of perjury
A signed sentence by which you confirm that what you wrote is true; EOIR accepts it in place of a notarized signature.

This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.

All pages: IDs and documents

Sources, checked November 2026