Removing conditions on residence

I-751 cover letter: sample and evidence checklist

Last updated 2026-10-01

An I-751 cover letter is an optional one-page summary placed on top of a paper filing. It identifies the petitioners and A-numbers, says what is being filed, and lists every enclosure — form, fee, green card copies and each piece of evidence — so the officer can find things quickly. USCIS does not require one, but a clear index makes a thick package easier to review.

Before you write it: what goes in the package

The cover letter only lists what is in your package, so start with the package. The Form I-751 instructions (edition 04/01/24) ask for:

• The signed Form I-751.
• The filing fee. Check the current fee and accepted payment methods on the USCIS I-751 page before filing — both change.
• Copies of the front and back of your permanent resident card, and of any conditional resident children included in the petition.
• Evidence the marriage was entered in good faith, covering the period from the marriage to the present: children’s birth certificates; a lease or mortgage showing joint occupancy or ownership; financial records such as joint accounts with transaction history, joint tax returns, insurance naming the other spouse, joint utility bills or loans; and other relevant documents.
• Optional: affidavits from at least two people who have known both of you since conditional residence was granted. See the I-751 affidavit sample.
• If applicable: Form G-28 if an attorney represents you, and the arrest or conviction records the instructions describe.

Timing matters: a joint I-751 is filed during the 90 days before the second anniversary of the date you became a conditional resident (8 CFR 216.4). Filing late requires a written explanation of good cause.

I-751 cover letter sample

Tips for a clean I-751 package

• Number the evidence and use labeled tabs or separator sheets matching the numbers in your cover letter.
• Cover the whole timeline. The instructions ask for evidence from the date of the marriage to the present, so avoid a stack that only covers one month.
• Caption photos with date, place and who is in them. Choose a handful across the period, not hundreds.
• Send copies, not originals, unless the instructions ask for an original. The instructions do say the original affidavit must be submitted, so include the signed originals of third-party affidavits and keep copies for yourself.
• Keep a full copy of everything you send.
• Filing online? If you file through a USCIS online account, you upload evidence by category instead; a cover letter is generally unnecessary.

How much evidence is enough?

There is no official page count. What the instructions emphasize is coverage: documents showing the relationship “from the date of the marriage to the present date.” A practical approach is to pick a few strong categories and show each one across the whole period — for example a lease or mortgage, a sample of joint bank statements spread across the two years (not every page of every month), tax returns, insurance, and a small set of captioned photos.

Third-party affidavits are most valuable when one of those categories is weak — for example if you keep separate finances for professional reasons, or recently moved. In that case, make sure the affidavits describe the period the documents do not cover.

What not to put in an I-751 cover letter

• Arguments or a long story of your relationship — let the evidence and affidavits do that.
• Anything that contradicts the form.
• Legal citations, unless an attorney prepared the filing.