N-400 residence analysis, I-601 / I-601A waiver workflows, family-based AOS, H-1B specialty occupation, RFE detection and the response countdown, EOIR and VAWA panels, USCIS case monitoring, and document analysis stay in one workflow. Sources stay visible; you review and confirm.
10 clicks or less for routine case prep; intelligence workbenches for RFEs, evidence gaps, and post-filing pressure
Attorney review stays in the loop while the routine workflow moves. Security details →
USCIS Case Status Checker, no account required
Enter any receipt number (I-129, I-130, I-485, etc.) and check the current USCIS status.
Case Stress Test
DocketBuddy can stay fast for repeatable matter work while adding 36 practice-aware stress tests for the moments that decide value, risk, proof, local practice, and post-submission action. The point is not to make attorneys browse another catalogue. It is to show what a trustee, agency, opposing counsel, adjuster, ALJ, court, or beneficiary may question, then turn that issue into a source-backed attorney review question, proof gap, and client request.
The commercial ladder stays simple: sell the $99 automation as the front door, then expand when the file reveals contradictions, missing proof, bad facts, deadline risk, eligibility questions, credibility issues, or scope creep. Practice management records the case. Case Stress Test finds the problems someone else may use as leverage and keeps the next action attorney-controlled.
36
Practice stress tests
10
Case-critical lenses
$99
Workflow entry price
Reviewer lens
Signals from intake, uploads, deadlines, notes, and active matters decide when a stress test appears, so attorneys see the issue instead of another practice-management menu.
Issue card
Each issue shows why it surfaced, the source basis, the missing proof, and the attorney-safe next action, then lets the firm copy the client request or open the packet.
Attorney-safe handoff
Source gates, release posture, review questions, and attorney-only decisions are visible before anything becomes client-facing work.
Offer ladder
1. Start
$99 intake, document, date, and source-fact automation.
2. Stress test
Right-time review that names what may be questioned, why it surfaced, what proof is missing, and what the attorney should decide next.
3. Expand
Paid diagnostic, scope upgrade, risk review, proof package, or follow-up loop.
Scrutiny trigger
Case Stress Test should feel quiet until the matter needs it. Every prompt has to prove the right to appear, name the likely reviewer, explain the source posture, land where the attorney is already working, and preserve the client-release boundary before it suggests a value path.
1. Matter signal
The file has to earn the prompt
A stress test wakes only from a practice-specific fact pattern, uploaded source, deadline, attorney note, or queue signal tied to the matter in front of the firm.
2. Signal proof
Show why it appeared
The first screen names the matched signal, source basis, proof posture, likely reviewer, and reappear rule so the attorney can trust the interruption.
3. Surface slot
Put it where work is happening
Each prompt belongs in intake, upload review, a deadline strip, the matter panel, the attorney queue, or the dashboard queue instead of a separate catalogue.
4. Attorney gate
Keep judgment attorney-controlled
Client release, legal conclusions, strategy calls, fee changes, and outcome language stay blocked until the attorney approves the source and route.
5. Value path
Turn the moment into expansion
When the signal is real, the review can support a paid diagnostic, scope upgrade, proof package, risk review, local playbook, or post-submission control loop.
Just-in-time surfacing
Each review appears only from matched matter facts, source gaps, uploaded documents, timing cues, attorney notes, or queue priority. The first screen tells the firm who may question the issue, why it appeared, which candidates stayed quiet, what to do now, what value can be safely measured, and what must stay source-gated or attorney-only.
Intake capture
Catch scrutiny before the consult hardens
When intake answers reveal a risky fact, missing proof, or scope problem, the stress test turns it into an attorney review question instead of another vague note.
Document upload review
Find the contradiction at the source
Uploaded notices, records, statements, or financial documents wake the review only when they create a real conflict, proof gap, or reviewer question.
Deadline strip
Tie timing risk to case posture
RFE dates, hearing dates, SOL language, appeal windows, and objection periods surface as source-first scrutiny checks with attorney guardrails.
Matter panel
The open file explains what may be attacked
Inside a live matter, the first strip answers who may question the issue, why it surfaced, what proof is missing, and what must stay attorney-only.
Attorney review queue
Rank the problems that change the file
Urgent, high-value, local-practice, post-submission, and red-flag items are ranked by source posture, deadline urgency, and attorney next action.
Dashboard queue
Cross-matter scrutiny, not catalogue browsing
The dashboard shows active matters that deserve review now and stays quiet when there is no matched fact, source conflict, timing cue, or attorney-review reason.
Quiet-state rule: if the file has no matched signal, no source event, no timing cue, and no attorney-review reason, DocketBuddy stays with the ordinary 10-click workflow.
Case-critical review lenses
Consistency
Facts conflict across intake, forms, uploads, prior filings, notes, or evidence.
Proof burden
Claims, elements, eligibility points, or requested benefits lack supporting proof.
Timeline integrity
Dates have gaps, overlaps, missing month/year precision, or impossible sequences.
Bad facts
Scrutiny-worthy facts are hidden, weakly explained, or unsupported.
Deadlines and posture
Response windows, objection periods, appeals, hearings, or filings create timing risk.
Eligibility thresholds
Gatekeeping facts need attorney confirmation before the matter proceeds.
Credibility
The story is vague, contradicted, over-polished, or unsupported by corroboration.
Evidence sufficiency
The packet is coherent but thin against what a reviewer would expect.
Scope and fee risk
The matter is becoming more complex than quoted or needs a paid diagnostic.
Theory of case
The attorney sees the cleanest story, what supports it, what undermines it, and what remains unproven.
These support paid diagnostics, scope upgrades, local playbooks, risk reviews, proof packages, post-submission control, and client request packets without turning the product into a menu attorneys have to remember.
Case selection
Screen the facts that drive margin, difficulty, and fit before the matter becomes another open file.
Output: Attorney review memo
Revenue expansion
Surface adjacent claims, higher-value tracks, or premium work that routine intake can miss.
Output: Value-expansion checklist
Risk detection
Flag bad facts, missing disclosures, deadline pressure, and evidence problems while there is still time to act.
Output: Red-flag queue
Evidence sufficiency
Map each claim or agency request to the proof on hand, the gap, and the next document request.
Output: Evidence matrix
Local practice
Capture trustee, court, judge, board, or field-office preferences as attorney-owned workflow guidance.
Output: Local-practice note
Post-submission
Keep the case alive after the package goes out: objections, RFEs, follow-ups, hearings, liens, and modifications.
Output: After-filing action plan
First proof point
The first immigration intelligence packet turns a financial-support RFE into attorney-review work product: deadline, requests, sponsor evidence flags, client request items, and response draft.
Build sequence
Upload the RFE, get the deadline, itemized requests, sponsor flags, client request packet, and attorney-review draft.
Stress-test output
Deadline · Itemized USCIS requests · Sponsor review flags
Common, deadline-driven, and easy to explain to solo family-based immigration firms.
Turn CV and evidence uploads into a criteria map, weak-criteria report, and petition-letter outline.
Stress-test output
Criteria map · Weak-evidence report · Evidence gap list
High-fee matters where evidence packaging is the product.
Turn intake history into unlawful-presence, prior-removal, misrepresentation, criminal-history, and waiver/RFE review flags.
Stress-test output
Risk checklist · Waiver evidence plan · Client follow-up questions
Risk screening is economically important before the attorney commits to a filing path.
Track receipts, biometrics, interviews, RFE/NOID deadlines, outside-normal processing, and client update triggers.
Stress-test output
Case-event queue · Deadline alerts · Client update prompts
Attorneys live with the case after filing; generic task lists miss the agency-specific pressure points.
Check O*NET fit, specialty-occupation support, employer evidence, public-access-file completeness, and RFE risk before filing.
Stress-test output
O*NET fit report · Evidence checklist · PAF completeness flags
Lets business immigration solos screen and strengthen petitions before USCIS asks.
Turn attorney-owned local notes into field-office norms, interview prep, document reminders, and client coaching packets.
Stress-test output
Local-practice note · Interview prep checklist · Client coaching packet
A jurisdiction-specific reason to build with one attorney per immigration lane instead of generic national templates.
AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY'S DAY
Five moments in a typical day. The monitoring and drafting work your practice management tool doesn't do.
Client completes the portal: immigration history, prior filings, entry dates, before they sit down with you. Share a case pathway overview so they arrive knowing what to expect.
Connected receipt numbers stay visible in the case workspace, with status updates and next actions queued for attorney review where provider access is available.
When RFE activity is synced, the evidence type, response countdown, checklist, and attorney-review framework stay together in the matter.
Job description checked against O*NET occupational data. Gaps flagged, resume relevance scored, employer H-1B history pulled from public USCIS data.
Automated reminders, processing-time alerts, and billing in one view, the margin that lets a solo practice grow.
Client completes the portal: immigration history, prior filings, entry dates, before they sit down with you. Share a case pathway overview so they arrive knowing what to expect.
Connected receipt numbers stay visible in the case workspace, with status updates and next actions queued for attorney review where provider access is available.
When RFE activity is synced, the evidence type, response countdown, checklist, and attorney-review framework stay together in the matter.
Job description checked against O*NET occupational data. Gaps flagged, resume relevance scored, employer H-1B history pulled from public USCIS data.
Automated reminders, processing-time alerts, and billing in one view, the margin that lets a solo practice grow.
See it in action
The repeatable workflows you spend the most time on, organized into guided next steps.
Where credentials or APIs are connected, case status and RFE deadline context surface in the workspace for attorney review.
H-1B specialty occupation analysis with O*NET and CFR citations, 94% match confirmed, gaps flagged for attorney review before filing.
Priority date tracking with monthly Visa Bulletin context. When category and bulletin data are available, DocketBuddy flags I-485 filing-window review when the priority date appears current.
The problem
The administrative burden of a solo immigration practice isn't the law. It's the case management.
The USCIS status checked manually for every client. The RFE that arrived and sat in a client's inbox for a week before anyone knew. The H1B petition filed without knowing the employer's approval rate. The same intake questions asked in two languages, manually, every time.
DocketBuddy automates the administrative layer, your judgment stays yours, and your license stays protected.
What it does
USCIS CASE MONITORING
Track USCIS receipt numbers for supported workflows: I-129, I-130, I-140, I-485, I-765, I-131, and more. Status changes surface in your dashboard before your client calls, so you decide when they hear.
RFE RESPONSE DRAFTING
When an RFE is uploaded, DocketBuddy classifies the request, starts the response countdown, itemizes the agency asks, and builds an attorney-review response packet before the prose draft.
PROCESSING TIME TRACKING
USCIS processing times by form type, service center, and field office, with your cases measured against current averages and outside-normal-processing cases flagged for inquiry before your client asks.
H-1B SPECIALTY OCCUPATION
Job description analyzed against O*NET occupational data before you file: does this position qualify as a specialty occupation, where are the gaps, how does the resume score, and what does the employer H-1B history from public USCIS data show?
POLICY MONITORING
USCIS policy updates, Federal Register notices, and AAO decisions can be organized by case type for attorney review. Keep source context close instead of chasing updates across tabs.
FORM GENERATION
I-129, I-130, I-140, I-485, I-765, I-131, N-400 and more, pre-populated from client intake data. Attorney review is required before any filing, with every field sourced and flagged.
CLIENT INTAKE PORTAL
Your client completes intake online, with immigration history, prior filings, entry dates, and visa status collected before the first meeting. Documents are uploaded by category, so you skip the email chase.
FILING FEE FACILITATION
USCIS filing fees collected from clients via Stripe for I-485, I-130, I-765, I-131, N-400, I-129, and more, with the fee schedule auto-populated by form type. Clients pay through a secure link, so you never handle payment details.
CSPA AGE-OUT CALCULATOR
Child Status Protection Act age calculator built in. Enter the child's date of birth, petition filing date, and visa bulletin cutoff once, and age-out risk is calculated automatically, with cases approaching the age-21 cutoff flagged before the client has to ask.
H-1B PAF MANAGEMENT
Required Public Access File documents tracked per H-1B client (DOL 20 CFR §655.760). LCA, wage documentation, notice of filing, and supporting documents uploaded and stored. PAF completeness flagged on each H-1B client card.
RFE + NOTICE PARSING
Upload supported USCIS notices (I-797 Receipt, Approval, RFE, or NOID) and DocketBuddy detects the type, extracts relevant fields, updates the case status for review, and opens the right attorney workbench where supported.
GOOGLE CALENDAR EVENT CREATION
Connect Google Calendar to create events for EOIR hearing dates, interview notices, and filing deadlines. Attorneys who prefer Apple Calendar, Outlook, or feed-based workflows can use the live .ics subscription feed or one-off .ics downloads.
INTEGRATIONS
Connect DocketBuddy to Zapier, Make, or any webhook-compatible tool. Supported workflow events can be sent when case status changes, RFE follow-up is needed, interview dates are entered, or USCIS updates sync where connected. HMAC-signed for security, with delivery logging and retry.
ATTORNEY FEE BILLING
Pre-set flat fees by matter type (H-1B new filing, green card, naturalization, asylum, removal defense, and more). Send an invoice in one click; clients pay through a secure Stripe link, and funds go directly to your connected account.
IOLTA TRUST ACCOUNTING
Retainer tracking, trust ledger, and three-way reconciliation, with IOLTA-ready workflows included in every plan and no separate software needed.
Supported case types
H-1B (new, extension, transfer, amendment) · H-4 · L-1A/L-1B · O-1 · TN · E-1/E-2 · Family-based (I-130/I-485) · K-1 · Employment-based green card · Naturalization (N-400) · DACA renewal · TPS · Asylum (I-589) · Removal defense (EOIR-42A/42B) · VAWA self-petition (I-360)
Additional case types added regularly.
RFE + NOID PARSING
Upload the notice and DocketBuddy detects the type, extracts the deadline, and starts the response countdown
RESPONSE DRAFTING
Anything not in the notice is flagged for you, so every citation and fact traces back to the record
FORM PACKAGES
The right USCIS forms for the case type, pre-populated from client intake and flagged for attorney review
NEWEST CAPABILITY
Turn a financial-support RFE into a deadline, itemized USCIS requests, sponsor review flags, client request packet, and attorney-review response draft without inventing facts or citations.
Scope and limits
DocketBuddy does not give legal advice. It does not make filing recommendations. It does not communicate directly with your clients about their case strategy or prospects.
Every RFE response framework requires attorney completion and review before submission. Every form requires your review and signature before use. H1B specialty occupation analysis is a starting point for attorney judgment, not a filing recommendation.
Your professional judgment is not automated, it's protected.
DocketBuddy supports employment-based, family-based, asylum, removal defense, VAWA, DACA, TPS, and naturalization matters. Additional case types are added regularly.
Proof under the workflow
When DocketBuddy surfaces a threshold, deadline, or calculation, it keeps the source and last-checked date close by so your team can verify quickly and keep the matter moving.
Sources on the screen
Dollar thresholds, day counts, and calculations come from primary sources. U.S. Code, UST tables, and official state guidelines. Not best guesses.
Every figure is dated
Each threshold and calculation carries a last-checked date. You see when it was verified, not just the number.
Pending means pending
Values awaiting attorney verification are marked clearly. No silent guesses dressed as facts.
Trust layer
Immigration client data requires the highest standard of protection. Here's how we handle it.
Questions about security? hello@docketbuddy.org
Full security details →Free tools, no account required
Public tools built on official data sources. Share with clients or use during consultations.
Look up the current status of one or more receipt numbers directly from the official USCIS API. Supports I-129, I-130, I-485, I-765, N-400, and more.
Estimated processing-time ranges for any USCIS form by service center or field office. Data synced from USCIS.
Check the current DOS Visa Bulletin cutoff date for a preference category and country of chargeability. Enter a priority date to see if the case is current.
Select a case type: family green card, H-1B, naturalization, TPS, DACA, and more, to see typical milestones and common forms required.
All tools use official government data sources. See all free tools →
Most solo and small-firm attorneys already use plenty of software. The problem isn't the tools, it's that none of them work like a legal workflow.
One self-serve price per practice package. Unlimited matters. No per-case fees or per-seat software charges.
Live now
Immigration is live now
Start with a 14-day free trial. No credit card required.
Start free, no credit cardNo sales call · Unlimited matters · No credit card to start
Everything included:
About
DocketBuddy is built around attorney workflows, not around technology. Every feature exists because a solo attorney needed it.
Immigration law moves faster than any other practice area: USCIS policy shifts overnight, forms change without notice, priority dates move monthly, and RFE deadlines don't wait. DocketBuddy keeps the routine monitoring and drafting work in one workflow so your team can review and act faster.
The platform is built and in use, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required
Start free, no credit cardNo sales call · Unlimited matters · No credit card to start
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