The Dangers of Completing the USCIS Forms Yourself

By: Salma Benkabbou, Esq.

The Millennial Business Lawyer®

When the time comes to file the forms provided by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), it is within your best interest to work with an experienced immigration attorney. The forms required to obtain citizenship, a green card, a student visa, and other documents for you and your family are very important. These forms cannot have any mistakes on them if you wish to have your request approved by USCIS and avoid being subject to deportation. The team from The Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC is here to prepare your forms and petitions along with complete and accurate supporting evidence to support your request and avoid a denial.

Incorrect Answers

There are dozens of questions you must answer when completing the USCIS forms. These questions might have simple answers, but if you answer even just one of them wrong, your application could wind up being denied and you could automatically be put into deportation proceedings. It can be as simple as providing an incorrect address, or mixing up the dates of your addresses. It can also be as simple as providing the USCIS with an incorrect answer about your employment because you forgot about a particular timeframe. Our immigration attorney will complete your forms in-depth to avoid any mistakes, major or minor. Our firm asks you all of the necessary information required to complete the forms without any incorrect answers. 

Some major mistakes include a misunderstanding of the questions asked on the forms. Such misunderstandings may rise to fraudulent answers if answered incorrectly and tarnish your file with bad moral character not only for your green card, but also for your citizenship filings later on. You are creating a record with USCIS with everything you submit to them and so you are building your profile with each petition and evidence submitted. Do not rely on the instructions on USCIS website for guidance on how to apply for a green card or how to apply for citizenship because the instructions can be confusing to most people. 

Clerical Mistakes

Small clerical mistakes on USCIS forms can lead to your application being denied, as well. What is a clerical mistake? A clerical mistake can be anything from a typo found in your name to a missing word in one of your answers. Clerical mistakes also include entire pages missing from a petition and submitting unsigned or incorrectly signed forms to USCIS. 

Other clerical errors include the following:

  • Using correction fluid or correction tape
  • Failing to complete the entire form
  • Paying the incorrect fees
  • Illegible handwriting

Form Instructions Are Not the Only Instructions

The instructions you find on the forms you wish to file with USCIS are not the only instructions that you will need to follow. 

For example, our firm has seen USCIS denials for people who filed for a green card without a lawyer or filed for citizenship without a lawyer because they failed to submit a complete record of tax returns. The applicants were immediately placed in deportation proceedings without having the chance to submit the entire record and correct what they submitted.  

An experienced immigration attorney knows how harshly USCIS reviews the filed forms and supporting evidence. Our firm implemented a quality control process to ensure that no mistakes are made so that your application is not denied for these type of errors.

Please understand that when USCIS denies your application, you lose your legal status, which means you will be placed in deportation. It is not worth it to risk your entire livelihood for simply not hiring an immigration lawyer. 

Need to File USCIS Forms? Contact the Benkabbou Law Firm Today!

If you need to file USCIS forms for residency or a student visa, or if a family member needs to file for a green card or citizenship, it is imperative that you consult with an experienced immigration attorney.

It’s also important to note that you do not use form preparers, notarios, paralegals, or any translation offices for these filings. These offices or service providers are not lawyers and they cannot represent you in front of USCIS. In fact, they are engaged in criminal activity for unauthorized practice of law as a lot of the answers on the forms require a legal analysis and strategy to ensure that you are protected. The mistakes can cost you your entire future, it is NOT worth it to save a few dollars. 

Call the office of the Benkabbou Law Firm, PLLC at 813-586-3351 or send us an email at imconsult@blawfirmpllc.com to schedule a consultation to get started on obtaining your American Dream.

If you need help paying for the attorney fees and USCIS filing fees, check out our blog on How to Cover Immigration Fees.