Long-form birth certificates showing both parents, the parents' marriage record, and passports or national identity documents establish the relationship and dates. Add adoption or custody orders where relevant, certified translations, and copies of any immigration filings previously made for the child. Keep originals accessible, since consular processing and adjustment both require reliable civil documents.
Order slow civil documents first
Foreign civil registries and translation services set their own schedules, and a missing certificate can hold an otherwise complete file. Start requests for long-form certificates, name-change records, and prior custody orders as soon as the family decides to explore EB-5 seriously. Log each request with the date sent and expected return.
Separately, keep the child's records in their own folder rather than mixed with source-of-funds evidence, which serves an entirely different purpose in the petition. Start the slow requests first: long-form birth certificates showing both parents, name-change records, and any prior custody orders, since foreign civil registries and translation services set their own schedules and a missing certificate can hold an otherwise complete file. Log each request with the date sent and the expected return.
Add the parents' marriage record, passports or national identity documents, adoption or custody orders where relevant, certified translations, and copies of any immigration filings previously made for the child. Keep the child's records in their own folder rather than mixed with source-of-funds evidence, which serves an entirely different purpose, and keep originals accessible for either processing route.