TorchLight USCIS Case Tracker

Support

About

Track your USCIS immigration case status and visa bulletin priority dates.

Features

Track multiple USCIS cases by receipt number
Automatic background refresh (about every 12 hours) with push notifications on status changes
Home screen widgets (small and medium) for at-a-glance status
Full case status timeline with historical status tracking
5-stage visual progress indicator for case processing
Visa Bulletin tracking for employment-based and family-based categories
Priority Date progress calculator with trend visualization
Bilingual status display (English and Spanish)
Haptic feedback on status updates
Swipe actions for quick case management
Free for up to 5 cases; TorchLight Pro (monthly subscription) raises the limit to 100

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a USCIS receipt number?

A receipt number is a unique 13-character case identifier (3 letters followed by 10 digits, e.g., EAC2490012345) assigned by USCIS when they receive your immigration application. You can find it on your receipt notice (Form I-797).

How often does TorchLight check for updates?

The app checks for case status updates in the background about every 12 hours; iOS decides the exact timing based on battery and usage. You can also manually refresh at any time by pulling down on the case list.

Does TorchLight send my data anywhere?

The only data sent externally is your receipt number, which is forwarded to the official USCIS API to retrieve your case status. For security reasons, this request transits through a developer-operated backend proxy (a Supabase Edge Function) that holds the USCIS API credentials server-side so they cannot be extracted from the app. The proxy does not log, store, or retain receipt numbers — it only forwards the request. All other data stays on your device. No analytics, tracking, or third-party data sharing is involved.

What is the Visa Bulletin tracker?

The Visa Bulletin tracker shows the latest State Department visa bulletin cutoff dates for employment-based and family-based immigration categories. You can set your priority date and category to see how close your date is to becoming current.

What does TorchLight Pro include?

The free version tracks up to 5 cases. Pro raises the limit to 100 cases, which is useful if you track cases for family members or clients. Every other feature — notifications, widgets, timeline, Visa Bulletin, translation — is included in the free version.

How do I subscribe to or cancel Pro?

Pro is a monthly auto-renewing subscription. Tap "Upgrade to Pro" in Settings; the price is shown before you confirm. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. To cancel, go to your iPhone's Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > TorchLight. You keep Pro until the end of the period you already paid for. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

I bought Pro as a one-time purchase before. Do I need to subscribe?

No. Your one-time Pro purchase stays valid and you will not be asked to subscribe. If Pro does not show as active (for example, on a new device), open Settings in the app and tap "Restore Purchases" while signed in with the same Apple ID you used to buy it.

Can I use TorchLight on my iPad?

Yes. TorchLight supports both iPhone and iPad.

How do I delete my data?

You can swipe left on any case to delete it individually. To clear all data, use the "Delete All Data" option in Settings. Uninstalling the app also removes all stored data since everything is kept locally on your device.

Troubleshooting

Case status shows an error

Ensure your receipt number is in the correct format (3 letters + 10 digits). If the USCIS API is temporarily unavailable, try again later. The app will automatically retry on the next background refresh cycle.

Not receiving status change notifications

Check that notifications are enabled for TorchLight in iOS Settings > Notifications. Also ensure Background App Refresh is enabled in Settings > General > Background App Refresh.

Pro is not active after purchasing or on a new device

Make sure you are signed in with the Apple ID used for the purchase and have an internet connection, then tap "Restore Purchases" in the app's Settings. To check an active subscription, go to iPhone Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. If it still does not work, email us with the approximate purchase date.

Widget is not updating

Widgets update on a system-managed schedule. Try removing and re-adding the widget. Make sure the app has been opened recently and Background App Refresh is enabled.

Visa Bulletin data is not loading

The app requires an internet connection to fetch the latest visa bulletin data. Check your network connection and try pulling down to refresh.

Contact Us

Need more help? Email us at yu@anyu.dev.

We typically respond within 48 hours.