Somewhere in a government records center, there is a file with your name on it. It holds the applications you filed, the notices you received, and the notes officers wrote along the way. That file is your immigration file, and you have the right to request a copy of it.
Most people go looking for it at a specific moment: they are filling out a new application and cannot remember a date, or they are trying to reconstruct a history that spans decades. This guide covers what is in the file, what is missing from it, and which agency actually holds the records you need.
An Immigration File Is Also Called an Alien File, or A-File
An immigration file is the collection of records the U.S. government maintains about a foreign-born individual. USCIS calls it an alien file, or A-file for short. The three terms describe the same thing, and you will see all three used on government websites and in attorney offices.
Each A-file is identified by an alien registration number. If you have been assigned an alien registration number, that number is how USCIS locates your records.
An A-file is not a single document. It is a folder that grows over time, adding each application, each decision, and each piece of correspondence as it happens. Someone who entered the United States once and naturalized twenty years later may have a file several hundred pages long.
Your Immigration File Contains What You Filed and What the Government Wrote
Your A-file holds two kinds of records: the documents you submitted, and the documents the government created about your case. Both matter, and the second kind is often the reason people request the file.
Contents vary by history, but an A-file commonly includes:
- Applications and petitions you filed, such as Form I-130, Form I-485, or Form N-400
- Notices of Action (Form I-797) and other correspondence from USCIS
- Supporting documents you submitted with past filings
- Records of interviews and biometrics appointments
- Officer notes, memoranda, and internal correspondence about your case
- Removal or deportation records, when they exist
- Copies of responses to any earlier records requests
The government-created records are the part you cannot reconstruct on your own. If you kept every form you ever filed, you still would not have the officer's notes from your interview. That difference is why the file is worth requesting even when you think you have good records.
Your File Does Not Contain Backup Copies of Your Certificates
A-files hold what was submitted to the government, not spare copies of what the government issued to you. This is the single most common misunderstanding we see about immigration files, and it disappoints people who request a file expecting to find a document replaced.
The clearest example is the naturalization certificate. Many people assume that after naturalizing, they can obtain a copy of their certificate of naturalization from their file. The government does not store a backup copy of the certificate there. There is a separate process to replace a lost naturalization certificate.
In rare cases, there is an exception. If you later submitted the certificate as evidence with another filing, such as a petition for a relative, a copy of it would likely be in the file from that filing. The certificate is there because you put it there, not because the government kept one for you.
The same rule governs everything else. A birth certificate appears in your file only if you submitted it with an application. If you never filed anything that required it, it will not be there, and a records request will not produce it. When you need underlying documents rather than immigration records, CitizenPath's guide to gathering civil records explains where to find them.
Different Agencies Keep Different Immigration Files
Your A-file belongs to USCIS, and it does not contain everything the U.S. government knows about your immigration history. Other agencies keep their own records, and a request to the wrong agency produces nothing useful.
| Agency | What it keeps | Typical records |
|---|---|---|
| USCIS | Your A-file | Applications and petitions, notices, interview and biometrics records, documents you submitted |
| U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) | Border, travel, and inspection records | Entry and exit records, secondary inspections, Border Patrol apprehensions and detentions, expedited removal, voluntary return, travel reservation data |
| U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) | Enforcement and detention records | Deportation records, detention and removal records, medical records created while in detention |
| U.S. Department of State | Visa and passport records | Visa applications and passport records |
CBP publishes two limits that matter for anyone reconstructing an older history. They do not have complete records of Border Patrol apprehensions made before 2000, and they direct people to the USCIS A-file for those. CBP also does not have entry and exit records for people who arrived or departed before 1982. You can review what CBP provides through a records request before deciding where to file.
Two shortcuts save time. Your I-94 arrival/depature record is available directly from the CBP I-94 website, so it does not require a records request at all. And many ICE records also appear in the USCIS A-file, which means a USCIS request often captures them without a separate filing to ICE. If your history includes a case before an immigration judge, CitizenPath's guide to removal proceedings explains how those cases work.
A fourth DHS component, the Office of Biometric Identity Management, holds biometric records such as fingerprints and photographs. Contact details for every DHS records office are on the DHS records request contact page.
Knowing What the Government Has on You Before You Act
Anyone can request their own immigration file, and you do not need a reason. The request is free, and it is available to U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike.
Immigration attorneys request the A-file as a matter of routine. It is often the first thing an attorney does when taking on a case, because advising someone without knowing their filing history means advising them partly in the dark. You can do the same thing for yourself, at no cost, before you spend money on a consultation. Arriving with your own records already in hand makes that conversation shorter and more useful.
People commonly request an immigration file when they:
- Cannot remember the dates or details of past entries and filings
- Need supporting information for a new application
- Want to verify what a previous attorney or consultant actually submitted
- Are researching a relative's history for family genealogy
One situation calls for a different tool. A records request shows you what has already happened in your case, not where a pending application stands today. To follow up on a form you have already filed, use check USCIS case status instead.
Family history research may require a different department. For an immigrant who naturalized before April 1, 1956, or who arrived before 1945, USCIS directs researchers to its Genealogy Program rather than the standard records request. That program charges a fee, while a standard request does not.
Describing the Records You Want Narrows the Search
Ask for a specific document and you will generally get an answer sooner than if you ask for everything. USCIS processes a narrow request faster than a request for a complete A-file, so it pays to know what you actually need before you write the request.
Here is how four common situations translate into the wording of a request.
You lost a copy of an application you filed. Ask for "copies of any Form I-485 applications filed in my name." Naming the form and, where you know it, the approximate year does more to speed up the search than any other detail you can add.
You need your complete history because you are in immigration proceedings. Ask for "my complete A-file." This is the broadest request, and it takes the longest, but it is the right one when you do not yet know which document matters.
You need records for a living relative. Ask for that person's complete A-file by name. Records about someone else require that person's consent, which is handled during the request itself.
You need to show when a parent became a U.S. citizen. Ask for "records of my mother's naturalization, including the date of naturalization." A request tied to one event returns faster than a request for her entire file.
Once you know what to ask for, the mechanics of filing are covered separately. CitizenPath's guide to making a USCIS FOIA request walks through the online system, how consent and identity verification work, what fees may apply, and what to do if your request is denied.
Immigration File Questions We Hear From CitizenPath Customers
These are questions people regularly ask when preparing to request their immigration records.
Request the File Before You Need It, Not After
Your immigration file is the most complete account of your immigration history that exists, and it costs nothing to request. Knowing what is in it, and what is missing from it, puts you in a stronger position whether you are preparing a new application, meeting an attorney, or piecing together a family history. The one thing it will not do is move quickly, so the time to ask is before a deadline makes it urgent.
Ready to request your records? CitizenPath's guide to making a USCIS FOIA request walks you through the online system step by step.
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