Data Import

Moving to BlueDot from another immigration platform? Bring your data with you.

Data Import — $250/hr

Migrating from another immigration software? We import your existing data into BlueDot. The smoothness of the import depends on the export source — we will quote the total hours after reviewing your data.

Rate

$250/hr

Typical project

$1,500 – $5,000

Typical timeline

2 – 3 weeks

Data import is a one-time professional service and is billed separately from your subscription plan.

Two ways we bring your data in

Direct import

Cerenade eImmigration

If you are coming from Cerenade’s eImmigration, we import your data directly from the source system. No spreadsheet, no manual mapping, and the highest fidelity import we offer.

  • Data pulled straight from eImmigration
  • No export work on your side
  • Fastest and most complete option

Spreadsheet import

Every other provider

For every other immigration platform, we import from a spreadsheet. You export your data, we give you our template, and we map your columns onto the fields listed below.

  • One worksheet (tab) per record type
  • Excel (.xlsx) or CSV both work
  • Rows link together by Contact ID and Employer ID

What we can import

Below is every field BlueDot can accept, organized the way the import template is organized — one worksheet per record type, 257 mappable fields in total. Your export does not need to match these names; we handle the mapping. Use this list to check that the data you care about has a home in BlueDot.

The master record for every foreign national, beneficiary, or individual client. This is the anchor sheet — every other sheet links back to it by Contact ID.

Identity & names(20)

  • User ID
  • Status
  • Gender
  • Type
  • Firm office handling contact
  • First name
  • Middle name
  • Last name
  • Maiden name
  • Title
  • Other name — first name
  • Other name — middle name
  • Other name — last name
  • Other name 2 — first name
  • Other name 2 — middle name
  • Other name 2 — last name
  • Other name 3 — first name
  • Other name 3 — middle name
  • Other name 3 — last name
  • Marital status

Biographic details(17)

  • Alien number (A#)
  • SSN
  • Date of birth
  • City of birth
  • State of birth
  • Country of birth
  • Country of nationality
  • Country of domicile
  • Major field of study
  • Degree
  • Ethnicity
  • Race
  • Height (feet)
  • Height (inches)
  • Weight (pounds)
  • Eye color
  • Hair color

Contact details(7)

  • Primary email
  • Secondary email
  • Day phone
  • Evening phone
  • Work phone
  • Cell phone
  • Fax

Passport & visa(14)

  • Passport number
  • Passport issuing country
  • Passport issue date
  • Passport valid until
  • Visa number
  • Issuing post
  • Visa issue date
  • Visa expiration date
  • Visa type / class
  • Visa consulate where issued — name
  • Visa consulate — address
  • Visa consulate — city
  • Visa consulate — ZIP
  • Visa consulate — country

Status & work authorization(24)

  • Current status
  • Status valid until
  • H/L entry date
  • Maximum stay date
  • Immigration status
  • Can FN travel?
  • I-797 number
  • I-797 from
  • I-797 until
  • EAD number
  • EAD from
  • EAD until
  • Advance parole number
  • Advance parole from
  • Advance parole until
  • I-129S number
  • I-129 from
  • I-129 until
  • I-20 number (SEVIS)
  • I-20 from
  • I-20 until
  • DS-2019 number
  • DS-2019 from
  • DS-2019 until

Arrival & I-94(7)

  • I-94 number
  • Arrival city
  • Arrival state
  • Arrival date
  • Status when last admitted
  • I-94 expiration date
  • Departure date

Permanent residence & naturalization(22)

  • PERM recruitment status
  • PERM filing date
  • I-140 filing date
  • I-140 approval date
  • I-140 approved
  • AOS filing date
  • AOS receipt number
  • Green card number
  • Green card valid until
  • Naturalization eligibility
  • Petition receipt number
  • Consular receipt number
  • Naturalization oath location
  • Naturalization certificate number
  • Country of chargeability
  • Priority date 1
  • Preference category 1
  • Description notes 1
  • Priority date 2
  • Preference category 2
  • Description notes 2
  • Exclude from Visa Bulletin report

Mailing address(10)

  • Care of
  • Street
  • Unit type
  • Unit number
  • City
  • State
  • ZIP code
  • Province
  • Postal code
  • Country

Residence address(11)

  • Care of
  • Street
  • Unit type
  • Unit number
  • City
  • State
  • ZIP code
  • Province
  • Postal code
  • Country
  • Resident from (date)

Foreign address(10)

  • Care of
  • Street
  • Unit type
  • Unit number
  • City
  • State
  • ZIP code
  • Province
  • Postal code
  • Country

Family relationships(2)

  • If relative, main contact ID
  • Relationship

Rows are tied together by Contact ID and Employer ID, so a contact can carry an unlimited number of addresses, marriages, jobs, schools, and trips. Keep those IDs consistent across worksheets and everything links up on import.

What we cannot import

Documents and attachments
Files attached to your cases — PDFs, Word documents, scans, photos, and email attachments — cannot be imported. Data yes, files no.
Completed forms
Filled-in immigration forms from your previous system cannot be imported. Once your contact and case data is in BlueDot, our forms module regenerates them from that data.

Plan to keep your old system’s documents accessible — either archived locally or re-uploaded to BlueDot as your team works each case going forward.

How the import works

Typical imports run 2 to 3 weeks from the day you hand us your data — after signing up, or after signing an NDA.

  1. 1

    Sign the NDA

    Before you send us anything, we sign a mutual NDA. Your client data is privileged — we treat it that way from the first email.

  2. 2

    Send a sample

    If you have not signed up with BlueDot yet, we review a sample of your data only — never your full database. That is enough for us to assess quality and scope the work.

  3. 3

    Get a fixed-hours quote

    We review the export, tell you exactly what will map cleanly and what will not, and quote the total hours at $250/hr before any work begins.

  4. 4

    Mapping & test import

    We map your columns to BlueDot fields and load everything into a test environment first, so you can see your own data in BlueDot before it goes live.

  5. 5

    Review & sign-off

    You spot-check records against your old system. We correct anything that looks off and re-run the import until you are satisfied.

  6. 6

    Go live

    We run the final import into your production account. Typical end-to-end time is 2 – 3 weeks from the day we receive your data.

Before you are a BlueDot client

We are happy to review your data before you sign up, on two conditions: the NDA is signed first, and you send us a sample only — not your full database. It is the right call for your clients’ privacy, and a sample tells us everything we need to scope the work accurately.

Frequently asked questions

How much will my import cost?

Data import is billed at $250/hr. Most imports land between $1,500 and $5,000 depending on how many records you have and how clean the export is. We always quote the total hours after reviewing your data, so you know the number before we start.

How long does it take?

Plan on 2 to 3 weeks from the moment you hand us your data — after signing up, or after signing an NDA. Very large or very messy datasets can take longer, and we will tell you that up front rather than after the fact.

Can you look at my data before I sign up with BlueDot?

Yes. We require a signed NDA first, and we ask for a sample of your data only — not your full database. The sample is enough for us to assess quality, confirm what will map, and give you a realistic quote.

What if my export does not match your fields exactly?

That is normal and expected. Very few systems use the same column names we do. Part of the engagement is mapping your columns onto ours. Send us what you have — you do not need to reshape it yourself first.

What happens to fields BlueDot has no home for?

We flag them during the review. Anything without a natural destination can often be consolidated into notes so the information is not lost, and we will tell you exactly what falls into that bucket before you approve the quote.

Can I import data myself later on?

Migrations from another platform are handled by our team so that record relationships stay intact. If you need recurring or ongoing data loads, talk to us about the BlueDot API instead.