Immigration consultation intake questions, by case type

A good immigration consultation intake asks every prospective client the same core questions (identity, current status, how and when they entered, prior applications and denials, contact with immigration enforcement or court, criminal history, and family relationships), then adds questions specific to the case type. It also requests key documents before the consult and flags risk factors for the attorney without drawing any conclusions.

The goal is a consultation where the attorney walks in already knowing the facts, the documents, and the questions that need a legal answer. Intake gathers facts. It never tells a caller whether they qualify.

The core intake: ask everyone

Start every intake with the same block, regardless of case type. Consistency is what makes intake data useful later.

• Full legal name, any other names used, date of birth, country of birth and citizenship
• Phone, email, preferred language, and the best and safest way to reach them
• Current immigration status and the documents that show it
• Date, place and manner of each entry to the United States
• Every immigration application or petition filed, by them or for them, and the result
• Any arrest, citation, charge or conviction, anywhere
• Any contact with immigration enforcement, and whether they have ever been in immigration court
• Spouse, children, parents and siblings, with their status
• What the caller wants help with, in their own words
• How they found the firm

Capture every expiration date you see during intake: EAD, green card, conditional card, TPS documents. Those dates feed your deadline calendar later. Our guide to the immigration deadlines every firm should calendar explains why they matter.

Conflict checks come first

Run the conflict check before collecting confidential details. In immigration practice, the parties are often family: a petitioner and a beneficiary, spouses, or one relative calling about another. Capture the names of everyone involved, including the petitioner, beneficiary, spouse, and any opposing party in a family matter, and check them before the full intake.

If the check turns up a potential conflict, intake stops, the caller is told the firm will follow up, and the attorney decides next steps.

Intake gathers facts. It never gives legal advice.

This is the line every intake script has to hold, whether a person or an AI receptionist is on the phone.

• Do: collect facts, request documents, explain the consultation process, schedule the consult.
• Don't: tell a caller they qualify or don't qualify, predict outcomes, estimate chances, or suggest which form to file.
• Say instead: "That's exactly the kind of question the attorney will answer in your consultation. Let me make sure they have everything they need."

Red flags are recorded as facts for the attorney, not as conclusions for the caller. "Caller reports a prior deportation in 2015" is intake. "You can't apply because of your deportation" is legal advice.

Family-based petitions (I-130 / I-485)

Questions to ask before the consult

• Who is the petitioner and what is their status: U.S. citizen or permanent resident?
• What is the relationship, and when did it begin (marriage date, child's birth date)?
• Where is the beneficiary now: inside or outside the United States?
• If inside, how did the beneficiary last enter, and did they have a visa or inspection at entry?
• Has anyone ever filed a petition for the beneficiary before? What happened?
• Prior marriages for either spouse, and how they ended
• Any children who are approaching 21

Documents to request

• Passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate and any divorce decrees
• Petitioner's proof of citizenship or green card
• Beneficiary's I-94, visas, and any prior USCIS notices

Red flags for the attorney

• Entry without inspection, or unclear manner of entry
• Prior petitions that were denied or withdrawn
• Prior removal orders or time in immigration court
• A child beneficiary close to turning 21

Removal defense and detention

A call about a detained person is the most time-sensitive call your firm receives. It should not wait in a voicemail box. Our ICE detention call protocol page shows how to route it to the attorney on duty immediately.

Questions to ask before the consult

• Is the person detained right now? Where, and since when?
• Full name, date of birth, country of birth, and A-number if known
• Who is calling, and their relationship to the detained person
• Has the person received a Notice to Appear or any document from immigration court?
• Is there a hearing date? Which court?
• Any prior removal orders, prior deportations, or prior time in detention
• Any criminal arrests or pending charges

Documents to request

• Notice to Appear, hearing notices, and any immigration court orders
• Photos of any papers the person was given at arrest or transfer
• Identity documents and proof of family ties in the United States

Families can look up a pending immigration court case through the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Intake should record what the family reports and leave case review to the attorney.

Red flags for the attorney

• Current detention: route immediately
• A prior removal order or prior deportation
• A hearing date that is close
• Criminal history of any kind

Asylum

Questions to ask before the consult

• Date of the most recent arrival in the United States
• Has an asylum application ever been filed? When, and with USCIS or the court?
• Is the person in immigration court proceedings?
• In general terms, what is the person afraid of if they return? (Keep it brief. Details belong in the consult.)
• Family members included in the case, and where they are

Documents to request

• Passport and any travel documents, I-94 or entry record
• Any USCIS or court notices already received
• Identity documents for family members

Red flags for the attorney

• Asylum has a one-year filing deadline with limited exceptions. Record the arrival date and any filing date exactly, and flag the timing for the attorney without commenting on it.
• Prior asylum applications or denials
• Travel back to the home country
• Criminal history

Naturalization (N-400)

Questions to ask before the consult

• Date on the green card ("resident since")
• Married to a U.S. citizen? Since when, and living together?
• Trips outside the United States since becoming a resident, with approximate dates
• Any arrests, citations or charges, including ones that were dismissed
• Tax filing history as a resident
• Selective Service registration history, where it applies

Documents to request

• Green card, front and back
• Passports covering the residence period
• Marriage certificate and spouse's proof of citizenship, if applicable
• Court records for any arrest or charge

Red flags for the attorney

• Any criminal history, even old or dismissed
• Long trips abroad
• Questions about how the green card was obtained

Past clients who became permanent residents through your firm are natural N-400 candidates. See past-client reactivation for how to reach them when their window opens.

DACA renewals

Questions to ask before the consult

• Current DACA and EAD expiration dates
• Any travel outside the United States since the last approval
• Any arrests, citations or charges since the last approval
• Any change of address or name since the last filing

Documents to request

• Current EAD and last DACA approval notice
• Copy of the prior DACA filing, if the client has it
• Court records for any new arrest or charge

Red flags for the attorney

• DACA that has already lapsed
• New criminal history since the last approval
• Travel abroad

Employment authorization (EAD)

Questions to ask before the consult

• Category and expiration date on the current EAD
• The underlying application the EAD depends on, and its status
• Whether a renewal has already been filed, and when

Documents to request

• Current EAD, front and back
• Receipt or approval notices for the underlying case

Red flags for the attorney

• An EAD expiring soon without a renewal filed. Since the October 30, 2025 rule, most renewals filed on or after that date no longer receive an automatic extension, so timing matters.
• An underlying case that was denied or closed

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Questions to ask before the consult

• Country of nationality and date of arrival
• Current TPS status: initial applicant or re-registering?
• Were all prior re-registration periods met?
• Any arrests or charges

Documents to request

• Prior TPS approval notices and current EAD
• Passport or national identity document
• Evidence of entry date and continuous residence

Red flags for the attorney

• Missed re-registration periods
• Criminal history
• A recent Federal Register notice changing the country's designation

U visas, T visas and VAWA: intake with care

These callers may be survivors of crime, trafficking or abuse. Some may still be living with the person who harmed them. Intake for these matters should be shorter, gentler and more careful about safety than any other.

• Ask first: "Is this a safe time and place to talk?" If not, offer to call back.
• Ask for a safe phone number, whether voicemail and texts are safe, and what name to use when calling.
• Never leave detailed voicemails or texts about the matter unless the client has said it is safe.
• Keep questions factual and limited: whether a police report or court case exists, rough dates, and current status.
• Do not press for details of what happened. The attorney will take that conversation in a private setting.
• Route to an attorney or trained staff member when the caller is in distress, and share emergency resources if there is immediate danger.

Mark these matters as sensitive in your case software and restrict who can see them. Any automated reminders or status messages should be turned off or adjusted until the attorney confirms safe contact methods.

Turn intake into a one-page consult brief

Whatever the case type, the intake should end in a single page the attorney can read before the client sits down: who the client is, what they want, the key dates, documents received and missing, red flags, and open questions. With that page in hand, the consult time goes to legal questions instead of basic facts.

How VoxCross Front Desk runs this intake

VoxCross Front Desk is a bilingual AI receptionist that answers every call in English or Spanish, with the name and voice your firm chooses. It runs the intake above and stays on the right side of the legal-advice line.

• Qualifies by case type against your firm's rules: what you take, and what you refer out.
• Runs a conflict check before collecting confidential details.
• Follows a detention protocol that calls the attorney on duty when someone says a person is detained.
• Books the consult into Google Calendar or Outlook, and into Clio or MyCase. Other case software is checked on a demo; see integrations.
• Produces a Consult Prep Dossier: a one-page brief with facts, dates, documents and red flags, ready before the client arrives.
• Never gives legal advice. Eligibility and strategy questions go to the attorney, every time.

Once the client signs, the same dates feed deadline tracking and client updates; our guide on handling "any news on my case?" calls picks up from there. The phone line can be live within 24 hours. To see Front Desk run your intake script, book a demo.