FIOA Requests

Houston Immigration Attorney

All noncitizen immigrants to the U.S. are assigned an alien registration number, and an A-file is built upon your arrival. A-files are the official file for all immigration and naturalization records in the U.S. To get a copy of your A-file and to know all of the information that the federal government has collected on your background, you must file a formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA request).

Should You Request a Copy Of Your Alien File?

There are many cases in which it is important to understand the full scope of information U.S. Citizenship and Information Services (USCIS) and other federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have collected about you.

These situations may include instances when you are:

• Applying for a visa, green card or adjustment of status
• Applying for naturalization
• Removing an ICE hold
• Obtaining an immigration waiver
• Winning a cancellation of removal case
• Preventing deportation/removal
• Release from immigration detention
• Obtaining an immigration bond
• Applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DREAM Act)

The government's information on you may be outdated and inaccurate. A thorough review of your A-file may make a significant difference in the outcome of your immigration case. As a Houston immigration lawyer, Mana Yegani can help you complete the important steps in making a proper FOIA request with USCIS, ICE and CBP. She can also help you resolve various other immigration issues you may encounter in Texas.

Completing FOIA Request Quickly

The information contained in your A-file will not be helpful if you do not have it in time for your hearing or before the deadline to appeal a USCIS or ICE decision. Typically, FOIA requests take months to complete; complex requests may take longer. Detained individuals may request an expedited FOIA.

If you have been served a Notice to Appear or your situation involves some other form of urgency, your request may be fast-tracked, but you must indicate your precise needs when you initially file the request.

Considering the deadline for most appeals is 30 days and deportation/removal proceedings may move even quicker, it is important to make FOIA requests immediately. If you are in removal proceedings currently, you have to file a motion outside of the normal FOIA request process to obtain your A-file.

Attorney Mana Yegani can help you in every step of the process, and she can even make the FOIA request for you as your legal representative.