Preparer setup
Choose what your client should see, then send them the link at the bottom. Their copy opens with these choices already made and locked, so they only answer what is actually theirs to answer.
Untick anything you would rather gather yourself. This is the main lever for keeping the form short.
The link carries only the settings above — never a name, number, or answer. Links get forwarded, screenshotted, and cached, so no client detail belongs in one.
When a client sends back the file from “Download my answers”, open it here and the whole form fills in as they left it.
Finished with one client and starting the next? Clear the device first so nothing carries over between people.
✓ Set up for you already
Your preparer has chosen these for you, so you do not have to.
Do not work around it — contact your preparer and ask for a corrected link. Answering the wrong set of questions costs more time than a quick message.
Every question, answer choice and button on this form is translated. Some of the longer explanations are still in English, and the official form names and numbers stay in English on purpose, because that is how they appear on your documents.
If any part is unclear, leave it blank and ask your preparer. A blank answer is always safer than a guess.
Have these nearby if you can: the paperwork that gave you your status — an asylum approval or judge’s order, a refugee I-94, a parole notice, or a green card — plus your work permit or other photo ID. If you cannot find something, answer what you can and leave the rest; we will sort it out together.
Your answers are saved only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to send it.
1 Which application are we preparing?
Pick one or more. Everything after this changes based on what you choose.
The rest of the form stays hidden until you choose an application above.
An I-130 is not used for your own green card as an asylee or refugee — your I-485 stands alone. Only keep this selected if you are petitioning for a relative.
Only someone who was granted asylum or admitted as a refugee. If neither applies to you, this is not the right petition — the next question will sort it out.
2 Your immigration status today
This is the single most important answer on the form. The law treats each of these differently, so it decides which questions and documents you see next.
You adjust under INA 209(b). You need one year of physical presence after asylum was granted. You do not need a financial sponsor, you do not need to prove you were inspected and admitted, and you are not required to provide a birth certificate.
You adjust under INA 209(a). Your one year of physical presence runs from the day you were admitted as a refugee, not from any later approval. No financial sponsor is needed, and no birth certificate is required.
Refugees are automatically exempt from the I-485 filing fee and the biometrics fee, with no need to show inability to pay.
Parole is how you entered, not a category that leads to permanent residence on its own. Being paroled does satisfy the “inspected and paroled” requirement, but you still need a separate legal basis — a family or employer petition, an asylum grant, or a special program such as the Cuban Adjustment Act.
Answer the next question as best you can. If you do not know your basis, say so — that is exactly what your preparer is for.
TPS protects you from removal and lets you work, but it does not lead to permanent residence on its own. You need a separate basis, and how you entered the U.S. matters a great deal. Your preparer will need to review this with you carefully.
Many people in your situation still have options, but they depend on details that need a real review — not a form. Fill in what you can and flag your questions at the end.
Pick the closest one. “I don’t know” is a completely acceptable answer.
If your asylum application was granted, you are an asylee. Scroll up and pick that instead — it unlocks the right questions and removes several requirements.
2 About you
Copy these exactly as they appear on your documents, even if something looks misspelled. We can note corrections later.
3 Your immigration record
Most of this is printed on your status paperwork and your I-94. Copy the dates exactly — they decide when you become eligible.
This petition is normally filed within two years — counted from the date asylum was granted if you are an asylee, or from the date you were admitted if you came as a refugee. Past that, we must explain the delay and ask USCIS to accept it. Give us the date as accurately as you can.
Asylees usually get a “Resident Since” date rolled back one year from approval. That earlier date is the one that counts toward citizenship, so give us exactly what the card says.
4 About this specific request
A few details that only apply to the items you picked.
If you also have a green card application pending, your work permit still goes under your asylee or refugee category — not the pending-adjustment category. Filing it the wrong way causes rejections and lost fees.
File a police report if you have not already, and keep a copy. It is not required, but it helps if the card is ever misused.
USCIS currently issues a receipt notice that extends the validity of your expired card while the renewal is pending. Keep that notice with your old card — together they prove you are still a permanent resident.
A CRBA is filed at a U.S. embassy or consulate in the country where the child was born, not with USCIS, and it must be done before the child turns 18. It is normally filed together with the child’s first U.S. passport (Form DS-11).
If the child is already living in the United States, an N-600 is usually the right route instead.
U.S. citizenship passes to a child born abroad only if the citizen parent lived in the United States long enough before the child was born. This is the requirement that most CRBA applications fail on, so answer the next question as carefully as you can.
4 Where you live
We need every place you have lived for the last five years, newest first. Add as many as you need.
Only if you have moved in the last five years. Leave empty if you have not.
5 Your family
We ask about family because it affects who can be included on your case.
For your spouse to qualify, you must have been married before you were granted asylum — or before you were admitted, if you came as a refugee. If you married afterward, this petition will not work and we should talk about other options.
A child qualifies only if they were born or conceived before your asylum grant — or before your admission, if you came as a refugee — and are unmarried and under 21. Tell us about all your children anyway; we will work out who qualifies.
Required on the application even if a parent has died or you have lost contact.
6 Who you are petitioning for
Add one block per person. Use their name exactly as it appears on their passport or birth certificate.
7 Work & school
The last five years, newest first. Include time you were unemployed, in school, or self-employed — gaps raise questions, so it is better to list them.
Add dates and location (optional)
8 Trips outside the United States
Every trip in the last five years that lasted more than 24 hours. Skip same-day trips.
As an asylee or refugee, travelling back to the country you fled can put your status at risk, even on a refugee travel document. Tell us about any such trip so we can address it before filing — do not leave it out.
9 A few sensitive questions
Answer honestly. A “yes” here very often does not stop your case — but a surprise later can. Nothing here is shared with anyone but your preparer.
10 Documents to gather
This list is built from the applications you picked. For each one, tell us where you stand. “I can get it” is a perfectly good answer — we just need to know what to chase.
Fee estimate
11 What this will cost
Worked out per person, for everyone you are filing for. Tick who is included and the totals update themselves.
Government fees change, sometimes several times a year, and some depend on details only USCIS can confirm. Treat every number here as a planning estimate, never a quote. Your preparer will confirm each amount before anything is filed.
Everyone here comes from your answers above. Untick anyone who is not filing right now.
Not government fees, but real money you should plan for. Shown as ranges because prices vary by provider.
Ask your preparer about Form I-912, a request to waive the fee based on income. It does not apply to every fee — the newer surcharges cannot be waived — but where it does apply it can remove the cost entirely. Never abandon a filing over money before asking.
11 Review & send
Check the summary, then send it back however is easiest for you.
Easiest: press WhatsApp or email below. Your answers are written into the message for you, addressed to us. Read it and press send.
If they asked for the file: use the second button instead. It saves a small
.json file they can open directly, which saves them retyping anything.
Nothing is sent automatically. Nothing leaves this phone until you send it yourself.
WhatsApp and email open with your answers already written in. Read it, then press send. If neither opens, our WhatsApp is 832-775-2509 and our email is Insurance@kivulink.com.
The person helping you complete this form is not your attorney unless they have told you so in writing and filed Form G-28. A preparer who is not an attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative may help you write down your answers, but cannot give you legal advice or choose a legal strategy for you. Never sign a form you have not read.
This intake form is a working tool, not a USCIS form and not legal advice.
Answers stay in this browser until you export them. Verify all filing requirements and fees against
the current USCIS instructions before filing.
Preparer setup