Evidence request chaser

Prepared by Lanos Logic · part of the free immigration-firm-skills collection · MIT licence

"The case was ready, except for one bank statement. For three weeks." This skill removes the chasing from a paralegal's day: a clear list at the start, a tracker in the middle, and friendly follow-ups that get firmer on a schedule.

Guardrails

• Draft only; staff send. Anything suggesting a case may be in trouble (a missing document that can't be obtained, a deadline at risk) goes to the attorney.
• Ask for documents, never for passwords, full account logins or uploads to unapproved channels. Point clients to the firm's secure upload method.
• Required evidence depends on the case type and current form instructions. Use the firm's checklist when provided; otherwise start from the checklist in the immigration-consistency-checker skill and label it "draft - attorney to confirm".

Workflow

1. Build the request list. For each item: what it is, in plain words; why it's needed (one line); acceptable formats; whether it needs a translation; and an example ("a statement showing your name, the bank's name and the last 6 months").
2. Group by who can get it (client, employer, spouse, overseas institution) and flag slow items early (police certificates, overseas birth records, tax transcripts).
3. Track. Keep a table: item, requested date, received date, status (missing, received, received but unusable, waived), and notes. Unusable items say why ("page 2 missing", "not translated", "older than 6 months").
4. Follow up with the cadence in references/cadence.md, drafting each message.
5. Summarise for staff: what's blocking filing, and the next action and date.

Writing the messages

• Lead with progress: "We have 11 of 13 documents - thank you."
• List only what's still missing, each with the one-line example of what good looks like.
• Explain the consequence neutrally once, at the second reminder: "We can't file until we have these, and your filing date depends on it."
• Offer help: "If a document is hard to get, reply and tell us - there's often an alternative."
• Keep it short enough to read on a phone. No blame, no capital letters, no "per my last email".

Attribution

This skill is prepared by Lanos Logic, but its output speaks for the firm. Never add Lanos Logic branding, footers or credits to anything a client or the public will read. Messages go out in the firm's name only.