There are three top things that we recommend that all of our clients avoid doing in their immigration journey and I want to share those top three tips with all of you.

1. Avoid checking your USCIS case status on a daily basis

I know that that is the go-to place, especially with extremely long immigration wait times. It gives you a sense of feeling like you have some kind of control in the process by being able to do something every day and check that case status.

It might seem like a strange piece of advice to say not to check that every day but the reality is that immigration will send important notifications about your case by email and mail. The online case status is helpful for a general overview but it really is pretty limited in the information that it provides.

The reason that I’m sharing this tip is that it becomes like an obsessive-compulsive action to keep checking and checking. I know this from personal experience because my husband and I noticed we’re checking it every day. It really just takes you away from being in the present moment and focusing on your relationship. We found that if we would just check it every other week and we would trade off on checking it and then we got into a routine of not checking it at all.

We would get a notice in the mail about the next step on the case and there’s actually the G-1145 form that you can file with your application so you can get text and email notifications. That way, you’re not wasting your energy on checking this online status obsessively.

2. Do not rely solely in information on the internet

A lot of questions are going to come up in the immigration process as you’re navigating through the labyrinth of US immigration. The internet is amazing because you can ask it any question but will you get the right answer? It depends.

With YouTube, Google, and so many things that are out there, there’s a lot of information at your fingertips. There are so many nuances in immigration law that oftentimes, the information you might be getting is inaccurate or will cause you more stress and more confusion.

Oftentimes, we’ll see clients say, “I read this horror story online about XYZ and I’m worried about my case.” It’s likely not applicable so avoid doing online research during your immigration process.

If you do, make sure you’re checking in with your immigration attorney. That’s what we always tell our clients. Ask us. We know since we’ve been through this a thousand times.

3. Do something productive with your frustration

It’s going to happen in the immigration process. The immigration process is complicated and stressful and you’re going to get frustrated or angry. If you have any kind of emotions like that, express them and then check them at the door. By express it, I mean get it out. Don’t try to stuff it down.

Healthy ways to get it out instead of turning it towards your partner is to go on a walk or maybe even yell. Just get it out of your body or exercise. Do something with that anger and frustration instead of taking it and turning it towards your partner.