Answers to your immigration questions.
GreenLight is built for USCIS applicants navigating every stage of their case. Find answers here, or reach out if something's missing.
General
What GreenLight is and how it works
What is GreenLight Track?+
GreenLight Track is a free, independent tool that helps USCIS immigration applicants understand and monitor their case. With GreenLight you can:
- Decode confusing USCIS status updates into plain English
- Track milestones on a visual timeline: receipt notice, biometrics, RFE, interview, approval
- Compare recent anonymous community activity with clearly labelled USCIS reference data
- Prepare with a document checklist tailored to your case type
GreenLight is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to USCIS or any government agency.
Do I need an account to use GreenLight?+
No. The core tools are free and work without an account:
- Status Decoder (up to 3 decodes per day)
- Timeline tracking
- Document checklist
- Community benchmarks (basic filters)
An account is needed for email notifications (milestone alerts, weekly digest) and to unlock Pro features.
Is this official USCIS data?+
No. GreenLight is an independent, community-powered tool. Data comes from two sources:
- USCIS published estimates: official processing time ranges from uscis.gov, manually curated and updated
- Community submissions: anonymous milestone dates voluntarily shared by real applicants
For your official case status, always use your receipt number on my.uscis.gov. GreenLight does not have access to USCIS systems.
Which USCIS form types does GreenLight support?+
Support varies by feature:
- Community benchmarks: I-485, I-765, I-131, N-400, I-130, I-140
- Document checklist: I-485, I-765, I-131 (more coming soon)
- Status Decoder: any USCIS status message, regardless of form type
- Timeline: any case type you enter manually
Status Decoder
How we translate USCIS jargon into plain English
What is the Status Decoder and how does it work?+
Paste any USCIS status message (like "Case Is Being Actively Reviewed By USCIS") and get a plain-English explanation, a severity label (good news / attention needed / action required), and suggested next steps.
It uses a curated knowledge base of common USCIS statuses. For unusual messages not in the knowledge base, our AI decodes the status in plain, understandable language.
Free users: 3 decodes per day. Pro users: unlimited decodes.
The daily limit resets at midnight. Your decode count is tracked in your browser, not on our servers.
Is my status text stored or shared when I use the decoder?+
No. Status messages you paste into the decoder are never logged or stored on GreenLight's servers. They are processed only to generate your explanation and are not retained afterward.
We designed it this way intentionally: immigration case text is sensitive and should not be stored without a clear reason.
Checklist
Document preparation for your interview
How do I know which documents are required?+
GreenLight's checklist is organized into three tiers for each form type:
- Required: must bring to your interview or include with your petition
- Recommended: strongly advised but not always mandated
- Situational: only applies in specific circumstances
Each item includes a brief description and an explanation of why USCIS asks for it. Currently available for: I-485, I-765, I-131.
Document requirements can change. Always cross-reference with the official USCIS instructions for your specific form and edition date.
Can I customize my checklist?+
Yes. Check off items as you gather them and your progress is saved automatically in your browser. The checklist remembers your state between visits, even without an account.
The checklist auto-selects the right tab if you have a case set up in GreenLight: it reads your case type and opens the matching form checklist.
Timeline
Tracking your case milestones
Why is my case not showing progress yet?+
A recently filed case can remain unchanged while USCIS accepts the filing, creates a receipt notice, and decides whether biometrics or another step is needed. There is no single early-stage timetable that applies to every form, filing method, and USCIS location.
Follow the instructions and dates on notices USCIS sends you. For current agency estimates and the date when you may ask about a delayed case, use the official USCIS processing-times tool.
Community Pulse can show whether anonymous users recently reported status changes, but it cannot tell you when your case will move.
How accurate are the timeline predictions?+
GreenLight does not predict your case outcome or a specific approval date. Community Pulse shows recent anonymous status-change activity only when a privacy-preserving minimum sample is available. Official or third-party reference figures are labelled separately.
Your actual timeline depends on factors no public tool can see, including case complexity, requests for evidence, and changing USCIS workload. Use the official USCIS processing-times tool for the current agency estimate and inquiry date for your form and location.
Community Data
Where the benchmarks come from
Where does the community data come from?+
Community data comes from GreenLight users who voluntarily and anonymously share their case milestones: filing date, biometrics date, approval date, and others.
We never collect or store:
- Receipt numbers (EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC numbers)
- Names or contact information
- Any user ID linked to a submission
Each contribution is a raw date + case type + field office combination, untraceable to any individual.
How many cases are included?+
The Community Pulse page shows recent anonymous status changes by form type. To protect people in a small sample, GreenLight hides numeric totals until at least five changes appear in the seven-day window.
How do I contribute my case data to the community?+
From the Timeline page, use the "Share with community" option after logging a milestone. Your submission is completely anonymous: no name, receipt number, or user ID is attached.
Contributing helps future applicants benchmark their cases. The more people share, the more accurate the community data becomes for everyone.
Account & Pro
Subscription, privacy, and your account
What do I get with Pro?+
Pro unlocks features for applicants who want deeper insights and automation:
- Unlimited status decoder
- Unlimited status history + full timeline
- Multi-case tracking
- Smart delay alerts
- Email alerts + weekly digest
- Community benchmark filters
- PDF export
Three plans: $7.99/month (cancel anytime), $59 one-time Life of Case (up to 3 cases, tracked until USCIS decision), or $99 one-time Life of Case Plus (all cases, past, current, and future).
All core features (timeline, decoder, checklist, community benchmarks) are free forever.
Can I cancel my Pro subscription?+
Yes. Monthly Pro can be cancelled at any time from your Account page. Cancellation is handled through Stripe's secure Customer Portal: instant and no hoops.
When you cancel, your Pro access continues until the end of the current billing period. You won't be charged again after that.
Life of Case ($59) and Life of Case Plus ($99) are one-time purchases: no recurring charges and nothing to cancel.
Is my data private? What gets stored on your servers?+
Privacy is a core design principle at GreenLight. Here's exactly what lives where:
- Your device only (browser localStorage): your receipt number and any local-only case state.
- Our servers if you create an account: your account email, subscription status, general case details needed for history and alerts, and any statuses you intentionally log.
- Anonymous community data: milestone submissions you choose to share for benchmarks.
Receipt numbers are never sent to our servers under any circumstance.
You can delete your account at any time from the Account page. All server-side data is removed immediately.
Not sure what your USCIS status means?
Paste your status message and get a plain-English explanation in seconds: free, no account needed.
GreenLight is not affiliated with USCIS, DHS, or any U.S. government agency. Nothing here is legal advice.