Frequently Asked Questions
The most common questions about CaseWhy. For full detail, see the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
About CaseWhy
Is CaseWhy affiliated with USCIS?
No. CaseWhy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security, or any other government agency. CaseWhy displays information sourced from public government systems, but doesn't control that data and can't guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness.
Who built CaseWhy, and why?
CaseWhy is built by CaseWhy LLC, a small company in Florida, by a founder who spent fifteen years as a solution architect and then watched a family naturalization case stall at the last step. There's no venture funding and no ad network behind it. The founder's own account of why it exists is on the Updates page.
Is anything CaseWhy tells me legal advice?
No. CaseWhy is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship of any kind. Explanations of your case status, AI chat answers, processing-time estimates, visa bulletin information, and escalation-toolkit drafting assistance are all general, informational content drawn from public USCIS materials — describing what a status or process generally means, never a conclusion about what you, specifically, should do about your case. For asylum (I-589) and DACA (I-821D) cases in particular, CaseWhy will never tell you whether you're eligible for relief or predict your case's outcome — only a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative can do that, and CaseWhy will direct you to one whenever a question depends on your individual facts.
Tracking a case
Is case tracking checking my real, current USCIS case right now?
Not yet. Case-status checking currently runs against USCIS's sandbox (test) environment while USCIS reviews CaseWhy's production API access. A receipt number you enter today may return a sandbox-hours message, or test data that doesn't reflect your actual case. Everything else on CaseWhy — Get Help, this FAQ, the How-To guides, free Ask CaseWhy questions, and CaseWhy Plus — is fully live today. This answer will be updated the moment USCIS grants production access.
Which USCIS cases can I track?
Any case that has a USCIS receipt number — the 13-character number on your I-797 notice, three letters followed by ten digits (for example IOE, MSC, EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, YSC; CaseWhy accepts any valid receipt-number format, not only these examples). That covers family petitions (I-130), green card applications (I-485), naturalization (N-400), work permits (I-765), travel documents (I-131), removal of conditions (I-751), employer petitions (I-129, I-140), asylum (I-589), and DACA (I-821D), among others. If USCIS Case Status Online shows it, CaseWhy can track it.
How often does CaseWhy check my case?
Every tracked case is checked automatically once a day. CaseWhy Plus adds a "Check now" button for an on-demand check whenever you want one.
How will I know when my status changes?
You get an email the day a status changes, and a push notification if you've turned notifications on for CaseWhy in your browser or phone. On iPhone, push requires adding CaseWhy to your home screen first — the Settings page walks you through it. Every change is also kept in the case's history timeline.
Can I track a family member's case?
Yes — a free account gets three receipt numbers for the life of the account (tracking or just looking one up both count, and untracking a case doesn't free up a new slot), and Plus tracks up to ten with no lifetime limit (more available on request). You'll need the receipt number from their notice. Track only cases you're entitled to see; CaseWhy shows the same public status USCIS would show anyone with that number.
What does "Case Was Received" mean, and what's a stalled case?
"Case Was Received" is the first status almost every case shows; it confirms USCIS has your filing and fee, and nothing more. A case becomes "outside normal processing time" when it has waited longer than the time USCIS itself publishes for that form and office — CaseWhy flags this automatically on every tier, and shows the formal channels that open up at that point (a USCIS e-Request, a congressional inquiry, the CIS Ombudsman). Plus can draft those letters for you. See also what "Case Was Received" actually means.
Ask CaseWhy and AI explanations
Do I need an account to ask a question?
No. Ask CaseWhy on the Get Help page answers three questions without any sign-in. Asking about your own tracked case is a CaseWhy Plus feature, with unlimited questions.
How accurate are the AI explanations?
The explanations describe what a status or process generally means, drawn from USCIS's own published materials. Every account gets the complete plain-language explanation; CaseWhy Plus additionally shows the specific source it was built from. They can be wrong or out of date, and they never know facts about your case that USCIS hasn't published. If something looks off, email corrections@casewhy.com — a person reads every message.
Is CaseWhy available in Spanish?
Yes — the site, the app, Get Help (including its free-text question box), and the FAQ are available in Spanish; use the Español link at the top of any page. Some reference pages are still English-only and marked "(en inglés)" where they're linked. The AI-generated case explanations and the signed-in "Ask a question" chat currently reply in English only, even on a Spanish-language page — a gap we're aware of.
CaseWhy Plus
Is CaseWhy really free?
CaseWhy has a free tier — three receipt numbers for the life of the account (tracking or just looking one up both count), a status timeline, and AI-generated plain-language explanations — plus an optional paid Plus tier for tracking more cases with no lifetime limit, AI chat about your case, and other add-ons (see Plus pricing). Get Help — CaseWhy's directories of free legal aid, accredited representatives, attorneys, and other resources — is free to everyone, always, regardless of subscription: no fees, no ads, no hidden cost.
What does Plus cost, and how do I cancel?
Plus is $9.99 a month, $39.99 every 6 months, or $69.99 a year, billed through Stripe. Cancel any time from the "Manage subscription" link on the Plus page; you keep Plus until the end of the period you've paid for. There are no refunds or proration for partial periods.
Can I share my case with my attorney?
Plus includes an attorney-handoff PDF: your case timeline, status history, and the explanations in one document you can send to your lawyer or accredited representative. If you don't have one yet, Get Help lists free legal aid, accredited representatives, and attorneys, free to everyone.
Privacy and your data
How is my case data protected?
Case and account data is encrypted both at rest and in transit. CaseWhy doesn't sell or rent personal information to third parties, doesn't use case data for advertising, and runs no advertising of any kind — there's no ad network for data to reach in the first place. Data is retained for as long as an account is active; a dormant account doesn't get different handling or earlier deletion. USCIS treats receipt numbers as personally identifiable information, and so does CaseWhy: receipt numbers get additional application-level encryption before they're stored, are used only to check your case status with USCIS (and, on Plus, to draft escalation letters that have to state them), and no CaseWhy staff member can view them in plaintext through any administrative tool.
What happens to my data if I cancel or delete my account?
You can remove an individual tracked case at any time from your dashboard — that deletes it immediately. Full account deletion is a request, not a self-serve button: email privacy@casewhy.com and your account and case data are permanently deleted within 30 days.
Have a question this doesn't answer? See the site index or email hello@casewhy.com.