- Strict honesty is necessary. The USCIS takes biometrics from most applicants (digital fingerprints and a photo), and any U.S. criminal record will come to light. For purposes of immigration law, all convictions count, even if there was a pardon or the conviction was expunged after a period of probation. If the form contains a denial, USCIS will find that the person has told a falsehood in order to gain an immigration benefit, which makes the person inadmissible.
- Spellings of names and birth dates are especially important. Nothing is more frustrating than finally receiving a document, such as a green card, with the wrong name spelling or wrong birth date. Often, the applicant has to fill out many forms that ask for the same information, especially the person's birth date. That date must be stated in the style of month/date/year. 1/2/2000 is January 2, 2000 (not 1 February 2000).
- The USCIS changes and updates forms constantly. Go to the agency's website to get the latest version of the form and to learn the current filing fee. Often, there may be additional forms to be filed along with the main one, which will be referred to in the instructions.
- They will tell you whether you really should file the form in question, and indicate any documents that the USCIS expects to accompany the form.
- The U.S. immigration law is complex and applying for any benefit under it, or being inadmissible to the U.S. for a reason for which they are not aware, will bring the person to the government's attention and possibly result in removal (the modern word for deportation) proceedings. For example, people who have in good faith wanted a work permit have filed the apparently necessary immigration forms only to learn that they are not part of a restricted group of people who qualify, and that they are now of interest to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
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