The USCIS privacy release form is a one-page PDF you sign to let a senator’s or representative’s office contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about your case. You fill in your identifying information, your receipt number, the form type your inquiry is about, and a handwritten signature, then send it to the congressional office, not to USCIS. There is no fee.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. All Forms Without a valid, signed release on file, USCIS will not respond to a congressional inquiry about you.
What This Form Actually Does
The release gives one specific permission: it lets the named member of Congress and their staff receive information about your case from USCIS. It does not appoint anyone to represent you, and it does not authorize attorneys, family members, or friends to receive your case information. Only the congressional office you name can receive USCIS’s response.
If you want an attorney or accredited representative to act on your case before USCIS, that’s Form G-28.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative If you want copies of your own immigration records, that’s Form G-639.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-639, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request If you already have an attorney who filed a G-28, do not attach a G-28 to a congressional casework inquiry.
Where to Download It
USCIS publishes the release as a PDF through its Office of Legislative Affairs.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Privacy Release Most congressional offices also post the form on their constituent services page or will email it to you when you first contact them. The fields are identical.
Filling Out the Form
Before you start, pull together your immigration notices, passport, and any receipt or approval notices from USCIS. Every field has to match what USCIS has in its system. A mismatched name or wrong receipt number can stop the inquiry from moving forward.
Petitioner/Applicant and Beneficiary
The form has two people-sections. Which one you fill depends on your case type.
- For petition-based cases (I-130, I-140, I-129F, I-730, and the like), the petitioner/applicant section is the U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or business that filed the petition. The beneficiary section is the foreign national the petition is about.
- For application-based cases (I-485, N-400, I-765, I-131, I-751, and similar), the petitioner/applicant section is the person who submitted the application. Leave the beneficiary section blank.
For each person listed, provide the full legal name as it appears on immigration filings, date of birth, country of birth, and Alien Registration Number if one has been assigned. The A-Number is a seven-, eight-, or nine-digit identifier that appears on your green card, employment authorization card, or immigration court notices.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number If you don’t have one yet, mark the field accordingly.
Case Information
Enter your USCIS receipt number: three letters followed by ten digits, printed on the Form I-797, Notice of Action, that USCIS sent when it received your filing.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number Do not put your Social Security number anywhere on the form.
Check the box for your form type. Common ones are listed (I-130, I-485, I-140, N-400, I-765, I-751, and others); if yours isn’t there, check “Other” and write it in. Add the filing date and a short description of the issue. Keep it specific: “case pending beyond posted processing time” or “no update since biometrics on [date]” gives USCIS something to look up.
Signature
Print your full name and the name of the senator or representative whose office will be inquiring. Then sign and date the form by hand. USCIS will not accept a typewritten, word-processed, stamped, or auto-pen signature.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual Volume 1 Part B Chapter 2 – Signatures A scan or photocopy of your original handwritten signature is fine for electronic submission. Your signature certifies under penalty of perjury that the information is true.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1746 – Unsworn Declarations Under Penalty of Perjury
Fill in your current residential address (no P.O. box in that field), phone number, and email. If your mailing address is different, use the separate mailing address line.
Translator Certification
If someone translated the form for you, that person prints their name, signs, and dates the translator certification section at the bottom. No specific credential is required; the translator is certifying that the translation is complete and accurate.
Signing for a Minor or Incapacitated Adult
A parent or legal guardian can sign the release on behalf of a child. For an adult who cannot sign, a legal guardian, surrogate, or holder of a valid durable power of attorney may sign.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual Volume 1 Part B Chapter 2 – Signatures USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence if it needs to see the guardianship order or power of attorney.
Where to Send It
Send the completed release to your senator’s or representative’s constituent services office, not to USCIS. Offices accept it by mail, fax, scanned email attachment, or in person at a district office. Call or check the office’s website first, because some have their own intake form or preferred submission channel.
Once the office has your signed release, staff forward it to the USCIS Office of Legislative Affairs with their inquiry. USCIS verifies the authorization before releasing any information. Whatever USCIS says comes back to you through the congressional office.
What to Expect After Submitting
Phone inquiries from congressional staff usually get a response by close of the next business day. Email inquiries are acknowledged within five business days and generally resolved within 30 calendar days. Mailed inquiries also take about 30 calendar days.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Congressional Inquiries Refresher
A congressional inquiry gets you a status update. It does not move you ahead in line and does not force USCIS to approve anything, though it can prompt a closer look at a file that has stalled. If the inquiry does not resolve your issue and your case is past posted processing times, the DHS CIS Ombudsman can accept a case assistance request when USCIS has not responded to a service request within 60 days or a case has exceeded processing times.10Department of Homeland Security. Check Your USCIS Case Inquiry Date Before Asking For Our Help with USCIS Processing Delays
False Information
Knowingly making a false statement to a federal agency is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and fines.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally Fraud or misrepresentation in immigration filings can also lead to denial of current or future immigration benefits.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 7 – Privacy and Confidentiality Signing another person’s name on the release without legal authority to do so can trigger both.