Practice Area
Immigration
Updated July 17, 2026
Immigration matters vary enormously in urgency, from a routine visa application to an active removal case. The intake asks the two facts that actually determine which one it is.
Key takeaways
- •Matter type covers green card, citizenship, visa applications, removal defense, and asylum as distinct options, not one undifferentiated category.
- •Current location, inside or outside the United States, is asked directly, since it materially changes what a firm can do and how urgently.
- •Whether a case is already open with USCIS or immigration court is asked explicitly, distinguishing a new matter from an active one.
- •The intake avoids assuming legal familiarity, options are described in plain language a non-attorney would recognize.
Why location and case status matter more than most other intake fields
Whether someone is inside or outside the country, and whether they already have an open case, changes what a firm can realistically do and how fast. These two facts, asked directly and early, do more to route an immigration inquiry correctly than a longer list of matter-type options would on their own.
What the intake actually asks
Matter type (green card, citizenship, visa, removal defense, asylum, or other), current location, and whether a case is already open with USCIS or immigration court. Three questions before contact information.
Written for the person reaching out, not the statute
Immigration matters are described in plain terms, green card, citizenship, visa, rather than the formal legal terminology a firm's own staff would use internally. Most people reaching out for the first time don't know the exact category their situation falls under, and the intake shouldn't require them to.
Frequently asked questions
What does the immigration intake ask?
Matter type (green card/permanent residency, citizenship or naturalization, visa application, removal or deportation defense, asylum, or other), current location (inside or outside the United States), and whether a case is already open with USCIS or immigration court.
Does the intake handle both new applications and active cases?
Yes. Asking whether a case is already open with USCIS or immigration court is specifically there to separate a first-time inquiry from someone with an active, ongoing matter, since those need very different next steps from a firm.
Is this intake appropriate for urgent removal or asylum matters?
It captures the structured facts a firm needs to triage quickly, but an active removal or asylum matter with an imminent deadline should still be communicated directly and urgently to the firm, not treated as a routine inquiry.
See how CaseMetric handles this
Free install, live in about 15 minutes, backed by a 30-Day Lead Capture Guarantee.
See how it works →