The Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts are designed to help residents of the United States gain access to public information. These acts have helped uncover corruption, have given individuals access to needed information, and have helped provide a level of transparency to public works. The USCIS is a major repository of public documents and information. If you require information about any person, institute, or company from the USCIS, you will need to file Form G-639 (Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request) in order to request the information.
Form G639 can be filed with any local USCIS office, which is also where the forms can be obtained. Alternatively, you can download and file USCIS Form G-639 through the USCIS web site. In order to file Form G 639, you will need to pay a filing fee and you will need to prove your identity. The filing fee varies depending on the type of information you are requesting. You can identify yourself in person with authorized identification, or you can submit a notarized USCIS Form G-639 in order to prove your identity as well. Form G639 is two pages long and involves instructions. It is important to read the instructions and to fill out Form G 639 correctly. Failure to do so could mean that your request to obtain information will be denied.
USCIS Form G-639 is not strictly necessary. You can also contact the USCIS directly to request information under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts. However, filing form 639 is often easier, as it contains all the information the USCIS needs to process your request. You will need to complete the form using black ink. USCIS Form G-639 has eight parts. Part one asks the applicant under which law the request for information falls. Part two of the form asks for requester information (such as name and address). This part of the form also requires the requestor to acknowledge that he or she will pay for the costs of the search. Part three of USCIS Form G-639 is a consent to release information. If you are requesting information about someone else, you need to have that person sign this part of the form. Part four of the form asks you to describe the records you need searched while part five asks you to describe the specific information you need. Part six asks the applicant to provide a form of identification while part seven requires a signature. Part eight of USCIS Form G-639 is a space for notarizing the form, if needed.
USCIS Form G-639 (Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request) cannot be used to access certain types of information. For example, do not use Immigration Form G-639 to determine consular notification of a petition, to determine status of applications, to return original documents, or to obtain proof of status. As well, Form G-639 cannot be used to access naturalization records dated before September 27, 1906 and cannot be used to assess manifest arrivals dated before December 1982. Immigration Form G-639 can also not be used to obtain a Certification of Nonexistence of a Record. This information is processed through The Office of Records Management or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Records Services Branch.