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I am a Canadian citizen. Years ago, I was working in the US for a large company on an H1B visa, and the company strongly encouraged me to go through the Green Card process. Some steps were completed, but I quit the company long before the process got very far (that was in 2009 in case that matters).

Now I am faced with a US government form, on a completely unrelated matter, that asks me "have you ever applied for a green card". Their official definition of having applied for a green card is filing form I-485.

I don't know how to answer this question truthfully. I am almost certain that the only green-card-process step that was completed is "labor certification", and that I never did file I485, but the problem is that I'm not 100% sure. Most of the steps were done by the company's lawyers and I don't have a good recollection of what exactly happened.

So, my question: Is there some way I can request my records from the INS and find out whether I ever submitted an I-485 or not?

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    Might it not be easier, cheaper, and faster to answer yes, and let the gov't check the records and say, no, you didn't (if that is the case)? Does the form ask for any other information about it, other than a yes/no?
    – Giorgio
    Commented Jan 29, 2017 at 17:53
  • I don't know if that is such a good idea. It might be considered deception to knowingly state something you can't be sure is true.Claiming there is a I-485 when there isn't one (or might not be one)? Aren't you required to sign this document affirming that everything is the truth to the best of your knowledge?
    – ouflak ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2017 at 20:16
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    @ouflak If the question is whether he applied for a green card, not whether an I485 was filed, then it's not deception, right? The first part is the certification. Maybe the other option would be to contact the company's or its lawyers and ask for their records.
    – Giorgio
    Commented Jan 29, 2017 at 22:03

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You can file an FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request with USCIS to obtain your file.

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