Assemble an Immigration Petition Package: Evidence Checklist, Exhibit Index and Cover Letter

Map the client's evidence to the requirements you paste from current USCIS instructions, then build the exhibit index, declaration drafts and cover letter from that map.

The Workflow

1. 1

   Set the context and paste the current requirements

   Describe the petition and the filing goal, then paste the requirements you are relying on from the current form instructions and USCIS guidance. Do not ask Claude to supply requirements from memory; it should work only from the text you give it.

   PromptCopy

   I represent the [PETITIONER / BENEFICIARY] in preparing a [PETITION TYPE, e.g., family-based or employment-based petition on Form [FORM NUMBER]]. Petitioner: [NAME, fictional or initials]. Beneficiary: [NAME, fictional or initials]. Filing goal: [e.g., initial filing; concurrent filing with [FORM]; target filing date].
   
   Below are the requirements I am relying on, copied from the current form instructions and USCIS guidance. Treat them as the only source of requirements. [VERIFY current USCIS guidance]
   
   <document title="Form [NUMBER] instructions, edition [EDITION DATE], relevant sections">
   [PASTE]
   </document>
   
   <document title="[POLICY MANUAL OR REGULATION SECTION]">
   [PASTE]
   </document>
   
   Break these into a numbered list of discrete requirements. For each, quote the language it comes from and note the type of evidence the text says is acceptable. Flag any requirement where the text is ambiguous or refers to another document I did not paste. Do not add requirements from outside these documents.

   What you get: A numbered requirement list with quotes. If Claude flags a cross-reference to guidance you did not paste, retrieve and add it before building the checklist.

2. 2

   Map the evidence to each requirement

   Paste the client's evidence, each item in its own labeled tags, and have Claude build a requirement-by-requirement checklist that rates each requirement as satisfied, weak or missing, with quoted support.

   PromptCopy

   Here is the evidence the client has provided, each item labeled.
   
   <document id="E-01" title="[e.g., Marriage certificate]">
   [PASTE OR DESCRIBE]
   </document>
   
   <document id="E-02" title="[e.g., Joint lease, 2024]">
   [PASTE OR DESCRIBE]
   </document>
   
   Build an evidence checklist. Columns: Requirement # | Requirement (short) | Evidence item(s) | Quoted support from the evidence | Rating (satisfied / weak / missing) | Reason for rating.
   
   Rules: rate a requirement 'weak' when the evidence is indirect, undated, inconsistent with other items, or covers only part of the requirement; explain why. Rate it 'missing' when nothing provided addresses it. Note any inconsistency between items, such as different spellings of a name, conflicting dates or addresses, and cite both items. Note any document not in English. Do not assume facts not shown in the evidence.

   What you get: A checklist that shows exactly where the package is thin. The 'weak' and 'missing' rows become your request list to the client.

3. 3

   Build the exhibit index

   Once the evidence set is settled, have Claude produce the numbered exhibit list in the order the cover letter will argue the case: requirement by requirement.

   PromptCopy

   Using the final evidence set and the checklist, build an exhibit index. Order exhibits by requirement, in the order of the requirement list, so the package reads as an argument.
   
   Columns: Exhibit | Description (document type, parties or issuer, date) | Requirement(s) supported | Page count | Translation needed (yes/no) | Notes.
   
   Use neutral, accurate descriptions taken from the face of each document, for example 'Joint residential lease, 123 [STREET], signed by petitioner and beneficiary, dated [DATE]'. Do not characterize the evidence as proving anything. Mark page counts I did not provide as [PAGES]. For each foreign-language document, note that a complete English translation with the translator's certification is needed, as described in the pasted instructions [VERIFY]. List any exhibit that supports no requirement so I can decide whether to drop it.

   What you get: A clean, requirement-ordered index ready to become your exhibit tabs. Confirm page counts against the assembled package.

4. 4

   Draft supporting declarations from the intake facts

   Where the evidence leaves gaps a sworn statement can address, have Claude draft first-person declarations for the petitioner or supporting witnesses, using only facts in your intake notes.

   PromptCopy

   Draft a first-person declaration for [DECLARANT NAME, fictional or initials], who is the [petitioner / beneficiary / friend / employer / family member], to support requirement(s) [NUMBERS], which the checklist rated [weak / missing].
   
   <document title="Intake notes for declarant">
   [PASTE INTAKE FACTS]
   </document>
   
   Rules: use only facts in the intake notes. Write in plain, specific first-person sentences, with dates, places and concrete details the declarant actually provided. Mark any fact that needs confirmation, or any detail that would strengthen the statement but is not in the notes, as [CONFIRM WITH DECLARANT]. Do not add characterizations or conclusions the declarant did not express. Number the paragraphs. End with a signature block and a placeholder for the attestation language required by [APPLICABLE RULE] [VERIFY]. After the draft, list each [CONFIRM WITH DECLARANT] item as a question I can ask.

   What you get: A draft declaration in the declarant's voice with every unconfirmed detail bracketed, plus a question list for your follow-up call. The declarant must review, correct and sign it.

5. 5

   Draft the cover letter

   Have Claude assemble the cover letter: forms enclosed, fees as placeholders, the requested classification and a short requirement-by-requirement roadmap to the exhibits.

   PromptCopy

   Draft a cover letter to USCIS for this filing. Include:
   1. Re line: petitioner, beneficiary, form(s) and requested classification [CLASSIFICATION].
   2. List of enclosed forms with edition dates as [EDITION DATE].
   3. Filing fees as [VERIFY current fee] for each form, and the payment method as [PAYMENT METHOD].
   4. A short introduction stating what is requested.
   5. A requirement-by-requirement roadmap: for each requirement in the list, one or two sentences stating how it is met and citing the exhibits, for example 'See Exhibits 4–7'.
   6. A closing with [ATTORNEY NAME], [FIRM NAME] and a reference to the enclosed [G-28 or REPRESENTATION FORM] [VERIFY].
   
   Keep the roadmap factual and tied to exhibits. Do not overstate the evidence or cite any authority I have not provided. Leave the mailing or filing address as [VERIFY filing location].

   What you get: A cover letter that walks the adjudicator through the exhibits in order. Every fee, edition date and filing location stays bracketed until you confirm it.

6. 6

   Attorney review and gap check before filing

   Check the package against the current form edition and filing instructions, confirm fees and the filing location, and have every declarant review and sign their statement. Then run the gap-check prompt below, which reads the whole package the way an adjudicator would, so you can address before filing what might otherwise come back as a Request for Evidence.

   PromptCopy

   Act as a careful reviewer of this draft package. Using the requirement list, evidence checklist, exhibit index and cover letter above, list every point where an adjudicator could reasonably find the evidence insufficient or inconsistent. For each: Requirement # | Concern | Exhibits involved | What additional evidence or explanation would address it. Include inconsistencies in names, dates or addresses across exhibits, undated or unsigned documents, missing translations, and any requirement supported only by a declaration. Do not predict the outcome.

   What you get: A pre-filing gap list. Address what you can, and record why you are filing without anything you cannot get. Responsibility for the filing rests with the attorney of record.

Example Output

Illustrative example — names, facts, and figures are fictional.

EVIDENCE CHECKLIST (ILLUSTRATIVE / FICTIONAL)
Petition: family-based petition, petitioner Daniel Okafor (U.S. citizen), beneficiary Lucia Ferreira (spouse). Requirements from pasted instructions [VERIFY current USCIS guidance].

Req # | Requirement | Evidence | Rating | Reason
1 | Petitioner's U.S. citizenship | E-01 U.S. passport bio page | Satisfied | Unexpired passport, name matches forms
2 | Legal marriage | E-02 Marriage certificate (Portuguese) | Weak | Certified English translation not yet provided
3 | Termination of prior marriages | E-03 Divorce decree, petitioner | Satisfied | Final decree dated 2019
4 | Bona fide marital relationship | E-04 Joint lease; E-05 Photos (undated) | Weak | Lease covers 2024 only; photos undated; no joint financial records

INCONSISTENCIES
- Beneficiary's middle name appears as "Maria" on E-02 and "Marie" on E-06 (birth certificate). Confirm and explain.

EXHIBIT INDEX (excerpt)
Exhibit | Description | Supports | Pages | Translation
1 | U.S. passport bio page, Daniel Okafor, issued 2021 | Req 1 | 1 | No
2 | Marriage certificate, Daniel Okafor and Lucia Ferreira, dated [DATE] | Req 2 | 2 | Yes
3 | English translation of Exhibit 2 with translator's certification | Req 2 | [PAGES] | N/A

REQUESTS TO CLIENT
- Joint bank or tax records for 2023–2025
- Dated photos or travel records

DRAFT: for attorney review. Requirements, fees and filing location to be verified against current USCIS sources.

Tips

• •Paste the requirements every time. Form editions, fees and evidentiary guidance change, and the safest habit is to make the pasted instructions Claude's only source of what the petition must show.
• •Order exhibits by requirement, not by the order the client sent them. An adjudicator reading requirement by requirement should find each exhibit where the cover letter says it will be.
• •Ask Claude to look for inconsistencies across exhibits: name spellings, dates of birth, addresses and employment dates. These small mismatches are easy to miss by hand and are exactly what prompts follow-up questions.
• •Keep declarations factual and specific. The [CONFIRM WITH DECLARANT] markers are there so that nothing goes into a sworn statement that the declarant did not tell you.
• •Use the Declaration Drafter prompt for any additional witness statements. If a Request for Evidence arrives after filing, the RFE-response workflow picks up from the same evidence checklist and exhibit index.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prompts used in this workflow

Related Reading

• Claude AI for Immigration Lawyers: Visas, Asylum & Compliance
• Draft a Response to a USCIS RFE
• Immigration Law Practice