Frequently asked questions.

No. CaseStatusAPI is an independent, third-party tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or any government agency. We simply provide tools to help you analyze the data that is already available in your own USCIS account.

When you use CaseStatusAPI, you copy the raw data your browser already loaded from your own USCIS account; our Chrome extension does that copying for you in your browser. We never see your USCIS password, and we never store the name, A-Number, address or documents from your case. Community benchmarks use a de-identified copy of shared cases (you can opt out), a report you buy is saved for 90 days so you can reopen it, and My Case keeps a history of each case you check with a paid report until you delete your account.

We never store the name, A-Number, address, or documents from your case. Your filing is analyzed in real time. If you share with the community (on by default), we keep a de-identified copy of the case data, with names, A-Numbers and addresses removed and your receipt number reduced to a keyed one-way hash and its 8-character block prefix, and build the timeline benchmarks from it; you can opt out at any time and delete the contributions we can link to you. If you buy a report, we save it (it shows your receipt number) behind a private link for 90 days so you can reopen it, and you can delete it sooner. A paid report also adds a snapshot of the case to your My Case history, under your email, so you can see how it changed; that history is kept until you delete your account. Our Privacy Policy explains how we use and protect receipt numbers.

Our tool reads the case data USCIS keeps for cases in ELIS, its electronic case system (receipts starting with "IOE", whether filed online or on paper). Older receipt prefixes (like EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC) use a legacy system that does not expose the same rich internal processing data (such as silent updates, internal processing flags, or detailed document histories) that our AI relies on for analysis.

No. Because our tool relies on data you manually provide or data fetched locally by our Chrome extension using your existing browser session, there is no direct connection between CaseStatusAPI and USCIS servers. USCIS only sees normal web traffic from your own computer, exactly as if you were clicking around their website yourself.

No. We show what has happened in your case and what cases like yours did next, with how long that took. That is history from real cases people checked on CaseStatusAPI, not a promise or a prediction about yours. Only USCIS decides your case.

Checking your case is free: your status in plain English, plus RFE and Action Required checks, with no account and no card. A full decoded report and the Premium plans are on the Pricing page.

Email us within 7 days of the charge. We will fix it, and if we cannot, we will refund that charge in full. The Terms explain this guarantee.

USCIS modernized their backend systems for IOE cases, and this new system tracks a massive amount of detailed data (such as internal routing, officer acknowledgments, and granular status updates). However, the public status page was built to show a short summary. The detailed data is loaded in your own signed-in myUSCIS account, but most of it isn't displayed. We read it and explain it in plain English.

The public status changes only at major steps, such as a receipt, a request for evidence, an interview notice or a decision, so it can stay the same for a long time. How long depends on the form and the office: USCIS publishes current times for each form and office on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times). Your myUSCIS case data shows more than the public message, such as each step USCIS has recorded and when your case record was last updated.

It means USCIS accepted your filing and sent you a receipt notice. There is no fixed length: the status stays until the next major step, such as a biometrics appointment, a request for evidence, an interview notice or a decision, and on its own it says nothing good or bad about your case. USCIS publishes current times for each form and office on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times).

USCIS shows this message while your case is open and being processed. It doesn't say who is working on it or which step it is at, and on its own it doesn't tell you the outcome or when it will come. How long it lasts varies by form and office, and some cases show it more than once; the steps recorded in your case data say more about where your case stands.

The "My Progress" feature in myUSCIS doesn't support all form types and may show as unavailable for some cases. It is a display feature: on its own, an unavailable page doesn't tell you anything about your case. You can still check your status on the public case status tracker or in your case data (the internal API).

The USCIS internal API provides significantly more detail than the public tracker — including internal event codes, silent timestamp updates, service center assignments, and document processing status. CaseStatusAPI's Chrome extension auto-fetches this data from 4 internal API endpoints in one click.

A silent update is when USCIS updates your case record on a later day than its most recent public step, without adding a new step you can see. The record doesn't say what changed. It can follow your own upload, a system update or an office move, so it isn't a sign of review, progress or approval. On myUSCIS you may notice it as a newer date with no new message.

IOE is the prefix USCIS gives receipt numbers for cases handled in its electronic case system, the USCIS Electronic Immigration System (ELIS). Cases filed online get one, and so do some paper filings that USCIS processes in ELIS. USCIS doesn't publish what the letters stand for, so we don't guess. What matters is what the prefix tells you: your case is in ELIS. IOE cases show much more detail in your myUSCIS account than older prefixes (MSC, SRC, WAC, LIN).

No. The internal API endpoints only work with IOE (ELIS) receipt numbers. Legacy receipt numbers (MSC, SRC, WAC, LIN, EAC) use older backend systems that don't expose the same API endpoints. You can still check these cases on the public USCIS tracker, but the internal API data is not available.

Your receipt number appears on: (1) Your I-797C receipt notice mailed by USCIS, (2) Your myUSCIS account online, (3) Your filing confirmation if you e-filed. It's a 13-character code starting with a 3-letter prefix (IOE, MSC, SRC, etc.) followed by 10 digits.

It depends on the category and the office handling the petition, and for many categories it runs to years. USCIS publishes the current time for each category and office on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times).

It depends on your category and the office handling your case. Steps along the way can include a biometrics appointment, a work permit and travel document if you applied for them, and an interview, before a decision. USCIS publishes current times for each category and office on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times), and they change often.

It depends on your eligibility category and the office handling your case. USCIS publishes current I-765 times on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times), and they change often. If you filed it with an I-485, you may receive a combo card (work permit and Advance Parole on one card).

Compare your case against the official USCIS processing times page and against real community timelines. Every case is different, but if you're outside the posted range, you may want to submit an e-Request, contact your congressperson, or consult an attorney.

Some forms are eligible for premium processing (I-140, certain I-129s, and OPT I-765s): for an extra fee USCIS takes action within a set time, 15 business days for most I-140s, and the action may be a request for evidence rather than a decision. For other forms, you can request expedited processing for reasons such as severe financial loss, an urgent humanitarian reason or a USCIS error; USCIS decides each request case by case.

Not by itself. A Request for Evidence (RFE) is a request, not a decision: the officer needs more evidence before deciding. Your deadline is the date printed on the notice (at most 12 weeks, sometimes less), and it can't be extended. Send everything requested in one response, organized clearly, with a cover letter: a response with only part of it is decided on the record as it stands.

For marriage-based cases: both spouses must attend. Bring originals of all submitted documents. Be prepared to answer questions about your relationship — how you met, your daily life, future plans. Be honest and consistent. The officer may approve on the spot or request more evidence.

The officer may approve the case, ask for more evidence, keep it for further review (for example, while checks finish), or deny it. The decision can come on the day or later, and your case status shows it when it does. If an I-485 is approved, USCIS produces and mails the green card, and your case status shows those steps too.

You'll receive a denial notice explaining the reasons. Depending on the form type and grounds for denial, you may be able to: file a motion to reopen, file a motion to reconsider, file an appeal with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), or refile the application. Consult an immigration attorney immediately.

The USCIS internal API is a set of programming endpoints used by the myUSCIS website to display case data. These endpoints contain far more information than what the public case tracker shows — including internal event codes, detailed timestamps, service center assignments, and document processing status.

We can't give legal advice, but here is what happens: the data is your own case data, loaded by your own signed-in myUSCIS account, the same data the myUSCIS website uses. CaseStatusAPI reads and explains the data you paste or let the extension read; it doesn't change anything in your case or reach anyone else's data.

The CaseStatusAPI Chrome extension auto-fetches data from 4 USCIS internal API endpoints (case status, service center location, receipt notice history, and submitted documents) while you're logged into myUSCIS. It fills this data directly into the AI analyzer — no manual copy-paste needed.

Yes. The internal API requires an active myUSCIS session. Log into my.uscis.gov first, then use the extension. The extension reads data using your authenticated session — it does not store or transmit your login credentials.

Key codes include: IAF (receipt letter emailed), FNB (fingerprints taken), IP (transfer notice sent), DA (case approved), EA (case denied), IKA (RFE sent), HA (RFE response received), LDA (card production), LEA (card mailed), LED (card delivered).

That choice is yours (and your attorney's, if you have one). Filing online skips the mail and the lockbox's data entry at the start, and many forms cost $50 less online; USCIS publishes no separate processing times for the two. Paper filings often get an IOE receipt too, so either way the detailed case data is usually in your myUSCIS account.

Concurrent filing means submitting I-130 and I-485 at the same time instead of waiting for I-130 approval first, so your green card application is pending from the start. It's available for Immediate Relatives of U.S. citizens. You can also include I-765 (EAD) and I-131 (travel document) in the same package; since April 2024 each has its own fee.

A biometrics appointment is a visit to a USCIS Application Support Center, where staff take your fingerprints, photo and signature. USCIS mails the appointment notice to your address on file, so keep it up to date; when it comes varies by form and office. This data is used for FBI background checks and producing your immigration documents.

Case transfers happen for workload balancing, interview scheduling, or jurisdiction changes. USCIS doesn't publish how long a transfer adds, and a transfer on its own doesn't tell you where your case stands or when a decision will come. For current times, check the processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times) for the receiving office.

An IOE receipt doesn't name an office: IOE cases are worked at service centers, the National Benefits Center and field offices. The case data in your myUSCIS account names the office holding your case when USCIS has set one, and a report shows it in plain words. For older receipts, the prefix names the center that received the case: MSC = National Benefits Center, SRC = Texas, WAC = California, LIN = Nebraska, EAC = Vermont.