A Request for Evidence (known as an RFE) is a formal request for more evidence from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Often this is received months after sending your immigration packet. Many of our clients have reported feeling confused, frustrated, or scared. Compiling the problem is the additional pressure of having to provide the additional evidence within a specific window of time.
It is very important that you respond to the RFE and provide as much of the requested evidence as possible. If your RFE requests more than one document, you should send everything together in one response packet. You must also make sure that the packet is delivered before the deadline within the RFE letter. If you don’t meet the deadline, USCIS will make a decision based on the information and documents it already. Often that decision will be a denial due to your failure to respond or failure of providing enough evidence.
The first step in responding to an RFE is to read the entire RFE carefully. You will typically only get an RFE once, which means you have this one chance to respond to any and all remaining questions that USCIS has about your application.
You should photocopy your entire RFE response package, including the original RFE notice. When you mail it back to USCIS, make sure you have a way to track the package and confirm that it was delivered, and keep this proof of delivery with your photocopied RFE package.
If you feel that you are in over your head or would like an attorney to review your RFE prior to sending it to USCIS, please contact our office. We can schedule an RFE evaluation or attorney consultation to help you. Please call us today at 855-554-6369 or use the contact form to email us.
