Specialists in immigration procedures.


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 33 2233 2835
 33 2233 2835

León GTO Office

Tijuana BCN Office

Central Office
Guadalajara JAL

Leon GTO
Office
Phone: 477 313 1710

Tijuana BCN
Office
Phone: 664 615 8137

FOIA

FOIA Background Record Investigation Request

Freedom of Information Act, FOIA

Background Record Request

The term FOIA is often used to refer to a background check on a person. The FOIA Record is the Freedom of Information Act, the right that an American or foreign citizen has to find out what information the different government agencies in the United States like USCIS, CBP, ICE have about him.

First, it is necessary to correctly identify which agencies of the United States government are the right ones to request the FOIA Record, since it is possible that, for example:

If you were removed at a United States port of entry, you no longer have the documents of your removal, and when requesting your background record at agencies like USCIS or ICE, it turns out that you do not have any records, that does NOT mean that you do not have them. For sure, you have a record in the CBP agency. So it is necessary to request your background check in the right agency, depending on what happened in your particular case.

The previous one is only an example to show that sometimes it is not possible to find all the negative records, and in other cases, it is possible, even though they are not requested at the appropriate agency. We want to explain clearly so that you understand that when an application is entered solely with USCIS, it does not mean that absolutely all of your background will be obtained, as there are different agencies that may have information on your background.

Obtaining the FOIA Record is necessary to support your case in immigration procedures such as the Legal Waiver. For example, if you need to know the exact dates of deportation, removal, or voluntary departure from the United States, the reasons or grounds for inadmissibility, the date on which any application was entered, among other reasons.

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Just because you request your background record from one of the different agencies of the United States government, it does not necessarily mean that you have a “bad” background record.

It is necessary to get your background checked, in some cases just to get reliable information. For example, to serve as support to carry out an immigration procedure at USCIS or Social Security in the US.

You need to know that most FOIA Background Record requests are FREE, at least initially. However, the agency may request a payment if your record results are extensive, although this is rare. On the other hand, other agencies require payment, like the FBI, with checks or money orders to collect in the United States.

We clarify this information because the "laborious" part of the job is not only to enter the application but to provide the correct follow-up, from entering the application, obtaining the case number in the appropriate agency until getting the results of your background record.

The procedure time to obtain your FOIA Background Record varies depending on the agency you request it from, but the minimum follow-up time and work are between two and up to twelve months. Some agencies even take longer.

For this reason, professional immigration services lawfirms like MEXUS, charge to carry out this procedure, since it is not only about entering the FOIA request, it is about the correct work of follow-up, advice and help throughout the process and the most important thing is the complete confidentiality of the information obtained from the results of your FOIA Background Record.

At MEXUS we provide you with all the information and help you may need to successfully get your FOIA Background Record, with different agencies like USCIS, CBP, ICE, DEA, FBI among others.

If you require more information or want to schedule your appointment with one of our MEXUS advisers, please call us at 33 2306 9494 or write an email to contacto@mexusmigracion.com