How it works
From confused to filed, in about fifteen minutes.
Here's exactly what happens on Fillsmith, from the moment you upload your form to the moment it's in the mailbox.
Upload your form
Download the official blank PDF from USCIS.gov, then drag it onto Fillsmith. We support fillable USCIS forms: I-765 (work permit), I-821 (TPS), I-589 (asylum), and I-130 (family petition) at launch. We detect which form it is automatically by matching its field-name fingerprint against our catalog.
We never touch a form we don't recognize. If your PDF isn't supported, you'll see a friendly message, not a failure screen, and a link to free legal aid.
Pick your language
Pick from 10 languages at launch: English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Tagalog, Vietnamese, French, Haitian Creole, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. The entire app re-renders, including the questionnaire that's about to appear.
Your UI language is independent of the language your documents are written in. A Haitian Creole user with French birth-certificate documents picks Kreyòl ayisyen here and French on the translation upload. They're two separate choices.
Answer plain-language questions
Instead of the form's bureaucratic phrasing, you see one warm, plain-language question per screen. Answers auto-save. You can leave and come back; nothing is lost.
Every question is in your language. The original English field label is tucked beneath each question so you can always check what the form is really asking.
Review side-by-side
Before you pay, you see every answer, the original English field, and the value we'll write on the form, laid out side-by-side. Our AI flags any issues (missing required answers, dates that don't make sense, inconsistencies). Edit anything you want, free of charge.
Critical AI flags block the Generate button until you resolve them. Warnings show in amber. Info notes show in gray. No alarms, just clarity.
Confirm and pay $25
When you're ready, you check a confirmation box, type your name, and click Generate. We send you to Stripe for a secure $25 charge, then we fill the official blank USCIS template with your English values and flatten it so the answers can't be edited.
The signed confirmation timestamp is recorded before payment. Even if Stripe Checkout fails, the legal record of your consent is preserved. Refunds within 24 hours if no PDF was generated.
Download. Print. Sign. Mail.
You get a download link, an email with the PDF, and a print-friendly view. Print the form, sign by hand where USCIS requires a wet signature, and mail it yourself with whatever supporting documents USCIS asks for.
Fillsmith does not file forms with USCIS for you. We're a scrivener service: we put your information onto forms with your words. Read why this matters.
Optional add-ons
You can stop after step 6. Or…
Add expert review
A trained reviewer goes through your form for completeness, inconsistencies, and obvious mistakes. They don't give legal advice. They deliver notes within 3 business days. Full refund if our reviewer can't help with your form.
Order certified translations
If your supporting documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, school transcript) are in a language other than English, USCIS requires certified English translations. We do them in 48 hours with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy.
Re-download anytime
Your filled PDF stays in your account for 90 days. Lost the original? Re-download from your dashboard at no charge. After 90 days, your data is auto-deleted.
Ready to start?
Set up takes one click. You only pay when your form is ready to download.