USCIS
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is the lead agency for most affirmative immigration benefits.
- USCIS Policy Manual — The authoritative source for USCIS adjudication policy. Updated continuously; cite by volume, part, and chapter.
- USCIS Case Status Tracker — Look up the current status of a pending application by receipt number.
- USCIS Forms — Current edition of every USCIS form, with edition-date warnings.
Department of State
DOS runs consular processing and publishes the monthly Visa Bulletin.
- Visa Bulletin — Monthly priority date movement for family- and employment-based green card categories.
- Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) — Consular adjudication guidance. Volume 9 covers visas.
- Country Reciprocity — Validity periods, fees, and accepted civil documents by country.
Department of Labor
DOL administers labor certification (PERM) and prevailing wage determinations.
- FLAG (Foreign Labor Application Gateway) — Primary portal for PERM, prevailing wage requests, and LCA filings.
- Prevailing Wage Data (OFLC) — Historical and current wage data used in adjudications.
Federal Register & Courts
Where new rules and the most consequential immigration rulings are published.
- Federal Register — Proposed and final rules, agency notices, and TPS designations.
- U.S. Courts — PACER — Docket access for federal court immigration litigation.
Border & Travel
Customs and Border Protection handles admission and post-entry records.
- CBP I-94 Retrieval — Most recent I-94 admission record, including class of admission and expiration.