Data methodology

Sources

We use publicly available USCIS sources only — no non-public or internal data:

• The public USCIS online case status result for a receipt number.
• Publicly published USCIS form pages and processing time pages.
• Publicly available USCIS reference information such as service center / receipt prefixes.

How status explanations are produced

USCIS returns status text in English. We maintain a status knowledge base that groups common status texts and adds a plain-language explanation in Chinese and English.

These explanations restate public status text. They do not change or extend an official conclusion and do not infer how your case will be handled.

Public lookup vs signed-in monitoring

A public lookup without signing in is one-time: you enter a receipt number, we query the public USCIS channel, and we show you the result. No ongoing monitoring is created for you.

Cases added after you sign in are saved to your account so we can show status history, re-check on a schedule, and notify you when something changes. The Privacy Policy and Data Processing pages govern what is collected and how it is handled.

Update and checking limits

Automatic re-checks run on a schedule and are not real time; a change may appear here later than it changed inside USCIS systems.

Public USCIS channels can be temporarily unavailable, rate-limited, or return incomplete text, in which case a check fails or is retried later.

We make no guarantee of update frequency, availability, or that data is always current.

Interpreting processing times

Published USCIS processing times are historical statistics and vary widely by form, category, receiving office, and individual case facts.

For that reason we do not publish cross-form average approval rates, generic median day counts, or outcome predictions. For official figures, consult the USCIS processing times page directly.

Bilingual consistency

The Chinese and English pages state the same facts. A translation difference is not a different commitment; where the two disagree, rely on the more conservative statement and contact us so we can correct it.

Corrections and contact

If a status explanation, form description, or any page content looks wrong, report it through the contact page. Official written notices and USCIS records control.