Open Borders Immigration Guide

Border Crossing Law Firm

About this app

NOT A GOVERNMENT APP: Open Borders is made by Border Crossing Law Firm, a private law firm. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for USCIS, EOIR, the State Department, the Department of Labor or any government agency. Official sources are linked below.

Open Borders is a free immigration app from an immigration attorney. Track your USCIS case, see how immigration judges have decided cases, check wait times, and learn which paths may be open to you.

FREE. NO ADS. NO TRACKING.
• Every tool is free, with no account to create.
• No advertising; nothing sold or shared with advertisers or data brokers.
• Your guide answers and notes stay on your device unless you share them.

CASE STATUS
• Add your USCIS receipt numbers; the app checks USCIS's public case status about every hour.
• A notification when a status changes, with a discreet mode for your lock screen.
• USCIS's own words, a plain-language note, where your case is on the 7 steps, and how long similar cases usually take.

IMMIGRATION JUDGE PROFILES
• A page for every sitting immigration judge, built from EOIR's public court records since 2021.
• Due process indicators, asylum grant rates (also by nationality), bond outcomes, relief by type, and how many hearings a case usually takes.
• These figures describe past decisions; they are not predictions.

THE GUIDE
• Plain-language questions point you to paths that may apply: family-based green cards, asylum, cancellation of removal, waivers, TPS, DACA, U and T visas, naturalization and more.
• Case Notes collects what matters; export it as a PDF for an attorney.

PROCESSING TIMES
• USCIS processing times by form and office, with an estimate for your case.
• The Visa Bulletin as a waiting line.
• Department of Labor queues for employment-based cases.

ALERTS AND NEWS
• Firm alerts when a rule, fee or court decision changes what you should do.
• An emergency guide for families after an ICE detention in Montana.

PRIVACY AND LANGUAGE
• Optional app lock with a PIN, fingerprint or face unlock.
• English and Spanish throughout, with Read Aloud and text scaling.

WHEN YOU WANT A LAWYER
• Book a phone or video consultation with the attorney who wrote the guide. Consultations and legal services are paid; everything else is free.

GOVERNMENT SOURCES (OFFICIAL)
The app's government information comes from these official sources. Check them for the authoritative version:
• USCIS case status: https://egov.uscis.gov/
• USCIS processing times: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/
• Immigration court data (EOIR): https://www.justice.gov/eoir/foia-library-0
• Visa Bulletin (State Department): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html
• Department of Labor processing times: https://flag.dol.gov/processingtimes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Shahid Haque, founder of Border Crossing Law Firm and a former law professor, who has represented thousands of people in immigration cases since 2008.

IMPORTANT
For adults 18 and older. General educational information only: it may be incomplete or out of date, is not legal advice, does not determine eligibility and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Have a qualified immigration attorney review your case before acting or filing anything.

What’s new

Open Borders 2.3 adds Case Status and fuller judge profiles:

• Case Status: add your USCIS receipt numbers and get a notification when a status changes, with a plain-language note for every status and how long similar cases usually take.
• Immigration judge profiles now show due process indicators, asylum outcomes by nationality, hearings per case and the judge in the news.
• App lock: clearer wording and a wait after repeated wrong PINs.
• Fixes and improvements throughout.