Keep the engagement terms and invoices separate from government notices, fees and gift instructions.
Preserve the original sources
Do not treat a branded checklist or provider estimate as an official case decision. Match each document to the step it actually establishes.
A dated copy of the official page and FAQ as read, a written summary of the fee, gift and family terms on that date, the pending petition's receipt and priority date, and every question put to the official channel with the answer received. Build a dated review file around the current official program terms, applicant identity, proposed payer, EB-1 or EB-2 facts where applicable, and admissibility materials. Keep passports, birth and marriage certificates, prior U.S. immigration records, and name-change documents orderly, but do not assume that every standard immigration document is automatically requested. The public FAQ does not publish a fixed degree, licence or source-of-funds document list, so the current portal instructions govern and the gift should be sent only when requested after vetting. A first review builds an evidence matrix with an official-program copy, civil records, payment-source records, and the materials needed for the chosen EB category. Where a relative’s recollection differs from the paperwork, resolve it against the documents before anything is signed, and keep each person’s notices, identity records and correspondence in a set of their own so one account cannot be copied over another.