The USCIS.gov website, redesigned in 2013 with additional user-friendly features introduced throughout 2014, is inviting and still looks brand new. More importantly, as the official site of US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), USCIS.gov contains a great deal of helpful information and user-friendly tools (and they also have a cool blog!). Here are five functions of USCIS.gov that may serve as useful resources for many foreign nationals and those with cases with USCIS.  

1.  Check Your Case Status & Submit a Case Inquiry or Service Request Online

Instead of calling the USCIS 1-800 number to check on a case status, the case status online feature allows foreign nationals to track their application or petition by using their receipt number (a unique thirteen-character identifier assigned to each case and included on every I-797 Notice of Action) as it moves through the immigration process. Foreign nationals may also create an account to sign up for email or text message notifications when an update on their case is available, which is especially useful for those who do not want to keep checking USCIS.gov every day.

The case query/service request feature allows foreign nationals to submit case inquiries online—again, instead of calling USCIS—if they believe their pending case is taking longer than the normal processing time; or if a notice, card, or other document was not received by mail and may be lost or missing. It also allows foreign nationals to submit service requests if they need appointment accommodations or if they spot a typographical error in their case information, which is essential to get fixed as soon as possible.