Long lists clients don't follow
A two-page list in an email, read on a phone. Clients send what they understood, and the rest waits for the next call.
For immigration lawyers
Every document for the case, in before you file.
Family, employment and humanitarian cases: send one checklist per case through a private link your client and their family can open from any country, and let reminders chase what's missing.
Last updated
A case can't be filed until every item is in.
Immigration cases come with long lists, and many of the documents live with family members in other countries.
Documents arriving piecemeal
A brother abroad sends a photo, a parent posts a copy, the client forwards a scan. Someone matches each one to the list.
Translations and certified copies late
The original arrives, the certified translation doesn't. With a filing target coming, you track it in a spreadsheet and hope.
How it works
Four steps, for every case.
The same way of working for family, employment and humanitarian cases.
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1
Pick a template
One list for each type of case.
Start from your family, employment or humanitarian template, then add, remove or rename documents for this client and this case.
Create a template -
2
Send a private link
Uploads from any phone, in any country.
Your client opens the link on any device, wherever they are, and uploads each document against its item. No account, and their progress is saved.
Copy or share the client link -
3
Let reminders follow up
Only what's missing, on a schedule.
By default, reminders go out 3 and 7 days after you send the request and shortly before the due date, listing only what's outstanding.
How automatic reminders work -
4
Review each file
Approve it, or ask for a readable copy.
Approve each document, or ask for a replacement with a note your client sees next to that item. Earlier versions stay in the history.
Review and approve uploads
Start from your family, employment or humanitarian template, then add, remove or rename documents for this client and this case.
for Mendes family · Due 20 Nov
Private upload link · what Mendes family seesNo account needed
H
Halvern Immigration Law
Documents requested for
Due 20 Nov
Upload a few, leave some missing, then see what the reminders do.
Default schedule
Features
Everything a case file needs to fill up. Nothing it doesn't.
A template per case type
Build your family, employment and humanitarian checklists once, then start each request from the one that fits and tailor it.
Create a templateA link that works anywhere
Your client, or a relative you send the link to, uploads from a phone in any country. No account, no password and nothing to install.
How client links are protectedA note on each document
Say exactly what you need. Your client sees the description under that document's name.
Add, remove or rename requested documentsReplacements for unreadable scans
A cropped page, a dark photo, a copy without the certification: ask for a replacement with a note shown next to that item.
Ask a client for a replacement fileDue dates before your filing target
Set each request's due date ahead of the date you plan to file. It turns amber in its last three days and red once it's overdue.
Due dates and overdue requestsSee which cases are stuck
The Overview's Needs your attention list flags overdue requests, new uploads and clients who haven't sent anything yet.
Retention you choose
Download a case's files as one ZIP for your own system. GarnerDocs deletes them after the period you choose, from 30 days to a year.
How long files are keptOne request per case
Each request is the document list for one case. Title it after the case and set the due date ahead of the date you plan to file. A client with two cases gets two requests, each with its own link, checklist and reminders.
Uploads from family members abroad
The upload page works in any browser, on a phone or a computer, in any country, with no app and no account. Your client can forward the link to a relative who holds the originals, and each file lands against its document. Progress is saved, so a family can upload over several days.
The upload page and the emails are in English only. The document names and descriptions appear exactly as you type them, so add a line in your client's language where it helps.
Your list, not a list of requirements
GarnerDocs doesn't know what any petition requires. Your templates are typical examples to tailor to each case. For the forms and their instructions, start from USCIS's All Forms page (checked on 19 October 2026). This page isn't legal advice.
What GarnerDocs doesn't do
GarnerDocs does one job: getting documents from your clients to you, complete and checked. It doesn't prepare forms or file with USCIS, and it doesn't connect to Docketwise, INSZoom or any other case management system. It doesn't assess eligibility, authenticate documents or translate them. Files are stored privately with encryption until your retention period ends (the Security page has the details), so download what you need into the system you already use.
Questions
Can a relative upload for the client?
Yes. Anyone with the link can upload to that request, so your client can pass it to a relative who holds the originals. The link is private and works only for that request. If it reaches the wrong person, reset it and the old link stops working straight away.
What if my client doesn't use email?
Each client needs an email address, because the request and its reminders are sent to it. If your client reads messages elsewhere, copy the client link and send it in the chat app they use. Reminders still go to the email address.
How large can a scan be?
Up to 25 MB per file, and your client can add several files to one document. The upload page shows the limit next to each document.
Which languages does the upload page support?
The upload page and the emails are in English only. The document names and descriptions you write appear exactly as you type them, so you can add a line in your client's language under each one.
How long are files kept?
For the retention period your firm chooses: 30, 90, 180 or 365 days after a request is completed. Then they're deleted, and the workspace owner is emailed 14 and 3 days before. Download what you need to keep into your own system first.
Related
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Use case
Visa and green card petition documents
Passports, certificates, translations and evidence for each case. Send the petitioner and the beneficiary their own checklist through a private link, and let reminders chase the rest.
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Use case
ID and KYC documents
For law firms, lenders, financial advisors, insurance brokers and accounting firms that need ID before work starts: send each client one checklist, ask for a clearer copy when an ID is blurred or cropped, and let reminders chase the rest.
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Checklist
Immigration document checklist, for family, employment and naturalization cases
Typical documents to ask petitioners, beneficiaries, sponsors and applicants for, with "why we ask" lines, translations and copies, and the USCIS page for each group.
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