The short answer
An immigration intake form is a screen, not a verdict. A short web form gets the inquiry, and a call sheet finds the path and the red flags. Status, entry history and arrests wait for the call. The builder below has both, with five immigration extras switched on.
Build your immigration intake form
The form appears below and changes as you edit it. Nothing you type here leaves this page unless you use the email form under it.
1. Choose your questions
The core questions and the five immigration extras are on. Open a section to switch questions off.
2. Your form
Email me this
We send your result to your inbox. This is optional, and you do not need it to use the tool.
Sent. Check your inbox.
We emailed . If it is not there in a few minutes, check your spam folder.
Can I download the form as a file?
The immigration set is a Word file and a PDF. Both put the short web form on the first page and the call sheet after it, with the core questions switched on. The optional immigration extras on this page are not in the files; switch them on in the builder above and download from there.
Other practice areas are on the law firm intake form builder.
What is an immigration intake form for?
It decides what to do next, not whether the person qualifies. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a nonprofit, says the goal at the screening stage is "not to make a final determination of eligibility but to assess pathways for relief."[1] So the form collects facts, and your attorney draws the conclusion.
- Web formName, phone, email, what help they want, a few lines in their own words, and how they found you.
- First callNotices and dates first, then status, entries, family and sponsor, prior filings and arrests, with an interpreter if needed.
- ConsultationThe attorney explains the paths that may fit, the risks and the fees, and the client decides.
What belongs on the website form, and what waits for the call?
Keep the website form to seven fields and leave the sensitive answers for the call. A visitor has not met you yet, and a public form is a poor place for an A-number or an arrest record. Our builder follows the split below.
| Question | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name, phone, email | Web form | You need a way to call back |
| What help do you need? | Web form (a dropdown) | Routes the inquiry to the right person |
| Is it safe to call, text or email? | First call (optional extra) | The household may not know about the inquiry |
| Current status and expiry date | First call | Sensitive, and easier to explain by voice |
| Entry history, prior filings, arrests | First call | Can harm the person if the wrong person sees them |
| A-number and document numbers | The consultation or a secure portal | Not needed to decide whether to book, except for someone in detention: then the call sheet asks for it |
The same nonprofit's intake sheet states that "Completion of this form does not create a lawyer/client relationship."[2] A line like that belongs in the disclaimer your counsel writes for the web form. It does not remove your duties. In California, "Even when no lawyer-client relationship ensues," a lawyer who has spoken with a prospective client must protect what they learned.[3]
Which notice or hearing date comes first?
Ask for any government notice or date in the first two minutes of the call. A hearing next week and a renewal next year are different jobs, and the date decides who calls back first. The call sheet asks for the date and the paper behind it, and does not guess at deadlines.
Dates to ask for on the first call
- Any court hearing: date, time and place
- Any interview or biometrics appointment
- The expiry date on the current status or work permit
- The date on any government notice or letter
- Whether the person is in detention now, and where
Who goes on the conflict check for an immigration case?
The client and the people on the other side of the application. In a family or employment case the sponsor or employer may also be someone your firm is asked to help. Get every name before the consultation.
| Type of case | Names to run | Call sheet question |
|---|---|---|
| Family petition | Petitioner, the person applying, children or others included | Petitioner, sponsor or employer, and family who would be included |
| Work visa or green card | The employer, the employee, family members included | The same extra question |
| Removal defense | The person, and family who may be part of the case | Who is calling, and family included |
| Asylum or humanitarian relief | The person and family included in the case | Family who would be included |
Whether a conflict exists is for your attorney. The form only gets the names on file in time.
Which questions are only for immigration?
Five optional extras, switched on in the builder above. They fit immigration and little else:
- Who is calling: the person, or a family member, friend or employer?
- Does anyone else answer this phone or read the messages, and is there a time or way not to contact them?
- Was either parent, or any grandparent, a US citizen? This helps check whether the person may already be a citizen.
- Is the person in immigration detention, and where?
- Names of the petitioner, sponsor or employer, and family included.
The core set already asks for the preferred language and whether an interpreter is needed. Ask that before anything else.
What should the client bring to the consultation?
Ask for what shows the history, not for the full file. Send the list when they book.
Bring to the consultation
- Passport and any other travel document
- The most recent entry record and any visa
- Every government notice, letter or receipt they have
- Copies of earlier applications and decisions
- Any court or police papers about an arrest
Where does each answer go in your CRM?
Rishabh spent four years running intake, marketing and systems from inside law firms. Our first step with a new client is a call check. We call the firm, after hours too, and fill in its forms the way a new client would. In immigration these are the fields we would keep out of the notes box.
| Answer | Where it goes in the CRM | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Type of help wanted | The matter type, which picks the pipeline | Sends the inquiry to the right person |
| Status and expiry date | A status field and a date field | Reminders run from the date |
| Hearing or interview date | A date field with a flag | Urgent matters get a call first |
| Preferred language | A language field on the contact | The right person or interpreter calls |
| Petitioner, sponsor or employer | A related contact with the role | The conflict check can run on them |
| Safe way to reach them | A contact preference on the contact record | Every staff member sees it before calling |
We set up Clio Grow, Lawmatics, HubSpot, GoHighLevel and Salesforce, or fix the CRM your firm already owns. Our legal intake software guide compares the main tools. If you also want more of these inquiries, see marketing for immigration firms and our guide on SEO for immigration lawyers.
Other practice areas have their own sets: estate planning and family law, or the general law firm intake form builder.
Reply speed matters once the form is in. A law firm marketing agency studied 1,333 US law firms and found that "Twenty-five percent of law firms respond to online leads in under 5 minutes."[4] Decide who picks up a new immigration inquiry, and what they say first.
Who this form is not for
It is a first-call screen. It is not a checklist for a specific filing such as an I-130 or I-485, and it does not tell your team whether someone qualifies.
Questions firm owners ask
Does filling in this form make someone a client?
Not by itself. But California treats a person who consults a lawyer about hiring them as a prospective client, and "Even when no lawyer-client relationship ensues," the lawyer must protect what they learned.[3] Handle the answers as private from the first call.
Should the website form ask for immigration status?
We keep it off. These answers can harm the person if the wrong person sees them, so they wait for the call. Ask them on the call, after you have explained who you are and how the call is handled.
Is this a legal document?
No. It is a list of questions for your intake team. Naelar is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Have your ethics counsel review it before you use it.
Does it replace a form-specific checklist for an I-130 or I-485?
No. It is a first-call screen. Once you know the path, use the checklist for that filing.
Try this today
Send your own firm a test inquiry the way a worried relative would. It takes about ten minutes.
- Fill in your website form on a phone, writing for someone else.
- Call your office line after hours and note who answers, and in which language.
- Open your CRM and check that the language, the hearing date and the source each landed in their own field.
More free tools for law firms.
Sources
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center (a nonprofit), "General Screening for Legal Service Providers," Practice Advisory. September 2025. ilrc.org. Checked October 29, 2026.
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center, "Intake Information Sheet." Page undated. ilrc.org. Checked October 29, 2026.
- State Bar of California, Rules of Professional Conduct, rule 1.18(b). Current rules, 2026. calbar.ca.gov. Checked October 29, 2026.
- Hennessey Digital, a law firm marketing agency, "2025 Lead Form Response Time Study." Published June 24, 2025. hennessey.com. Checked October 29, 2026.