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USCISSpeed and notices

Form I-797: what this notice is, its types and the letters

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Notice of Action

I-797: the seven notice types and what to do with each

Key answer

Form I-797 (Notice of Action) is a notice USCIS sends you; nobody fills it in or files it. The letter after the number tells you what it is: I-797C is a receipt (or a rejection, transfer, biometrics or interview notice), I-797A is an approval that replaces your I-94, I-797B approves a worker petition, I-797E is a request for evidence. Every notice carries a 13-character receipt number - three letters and 10 digits - that you use to check the case status.
  • I-797. Tells you an application or petition was received or approved.
  • I-797A. Issued to the applicant as a replacement Form I-94: the bottom of the letter is the new arrival-departure record. Count your permitted stay from it, not from the visa in your passport. Form I-94: what it is and how to check it
  • I-797B. Approval of an alien worker petition, for example an I-129.
  • I-797C. A receipt or a rejection of a filing, a file transfer, a biometrics or interview appointment, a rescheduled appointment, a reopened case. USCIS stresses that the I-797C is only a receipt for a filing, not a decision on eligibility. After a rejection you refile with the reason fixed.
  • I-797D. Comes with a benefit card - a green card or an employment authorization document (EAD).
  • I-797E. A request for evidence (RFE). The deadline is printed in the letter, and USCIS must receive your response by that date. Responding to an RFE: step by step and deadlines
  • I-797F. A transportation letter: issued outside the US so the applicant can travel.
  • How to read the number on an I-797. The receipt number has 13 characters: three letters and 10 digits. The letters are the code of the office that took the case; USCIS gives EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC and IOE as examples. Enter it in the status tool without dashes, but keep any asterisks printed on the notice. An IOE number is a case in the USCIS electronic system: only such a case can take an online I-907 or I-485 supplement later. USCIS case status: how to check it and what it means USCIS service centers: who processes which form

Checked against the USCIS pages on 2026-10-11; links are in the Sources block below.

I-797: the form and its edition

Source: uscis.gov, checked 2026-09-12.

Sources

From the knowledge base: How to Track Your Case After Filing an O-1/EB-1/EB-2 Petition

The wording of statuses in the USCIS tracker changes as your case moves through the process. The most common are:

Read the full article

I-797: what the chats ask

  • 2×If approved I-797 but denied at the consulate - you can apply for an interview an unlimited number of times while your approval is valid. That is, an issuance at the consulate is not a refusal of the visa as a whole? Can I still obtain it?
  • 1×Is the A number indicated in the I-140 approval notice?
  • 1×Do I need to attach a copy of the I-797 for the approved i-129 O1 along with the i-485 form if I am currently on that visa?
  • 1×When filling out the DS-140 form after an approved visa, do I need just the case number or some number from the approval notice?
  • 1×When filling out the DS-160 form after an approved visa, do I need just the case number or some number from the approval notice?
  • 1×When filling out the DS-160 form after an approved visa, do I need just the case number or some number from the approval notice (is it different from the one used for the case?)

I-797: community answers

Where can I find the USCIS case number and status?
If the case has already been accepted by USCIS, the number is usually listed on the receipt notice. You can use that number to check the status in the official USCIS tracker or in your account if the filing was linked to it.
Why did the receipt notice for I-485 or related forms come from NBC if the case was previously at another service center?
For adjustment of status and related forms, initial processing can often go through the National Benefits Center, even if the immigrant petition was previously reviewed at another center. The address on the receipt notice alone usually does not indicate a problem.
Do you need the original I-797 at the interview, or is a copy enough?
In practice, applicants often bring a copy of the I-797, especially if the original is with the attorneys or employer. However, it is best to check the requirements of the specific consulate in advance and, if possible, have the original or a high-quality copy along with other supporting documents.
Is the original O-1 petition approval needed at the consular interview?
In practice, the original petition approval is often not required, but you should have a printout of the approval notice and the full basic document package. Requirements may differ by consulate, so it is best to check the instructions for the specific place of filing in advance.
How do you track the status of a filed I-140/EB-1 petition?
After receiving the receipt notice, you can check the status by receipt number in the USCIS system. Before the receipt is issued, the electronic or paper notice may take some time, and timelines differ by service center and filing method.

I-797: real timelines named in the chats

StageTypicallyNote
EB-1A / I-140 with premium processing: case receipt after the package is deliveredabout 0-3 daysIn one observation, the receipt notice arrived with a delay of almost 3 days, and the receipt date was the day the mail was actually received.
EB-1 / I-140: receipt notice receivedelectronic number - the next day after delivery, paper receipt - about 7 daysIn one observation, after the I-140 was delivered, the electronic notice with the receipt number arrived the next day, and the paper confirmation arrived a week later.
EB-1: receiving the case number / receipt notice after sending the petition1-4 weeks or moreThe messages include expectations of about a month. It was also stated that 1-2 weeks is considered a possible timeline, but sometimes it takes longer.
AOS/I-485: biometrics after receipt notice1-3 weeks until the biometrics notice, then about another 1-2 weeks until the appointmentBased on observations, biometrics are often scheduled soon after the receipt notice is received, but date availability depends on the queue.
I-797 receipt notice: receiving notice after filingabout 1 month, after a request - another 1-2 weeksA case was described where the receipt notice did not arrive for about a month, and after contacting the lockbox, it arrived in 1-2 weeks.

I-797: rules and tips from the chats

  • ruleThe filing address for forms depends on the type of form and the applicant's place of residence or category. Sending the package to the wrong lockbox often results in the documents being returned and no receipt notice being issued.
  • ruleAfter I-140 is delivered and the fee is charged, the receipt notice may take several weeks to arrive; if there is a delay, it is worth asking the sender for the tracking number and checking delivery status rather than relying only on waiting for the paper notice.
  • tipDelays in immigration cases are often tied to review and to the queue for physical case processing; long waits after the receipt notice and even after the case is transferred between offices are normal.
  • tipAn email or fax with the approval notice is useful for information, but the official document is usually the notice form itself, which must be awaited separately.
  • tipBefore discussing case status, it is helpful to specify exactly which forms were filed: I-140, I-485, I-131, I-765, and whether receipt notices were issued. Without that, it is hard to understand the stage of the process and possible next steps.
  • common questionPeople often ask how long it takes to gather documents for EB-1 and how soon after the package is delivered a petition receipt notice arrives; in practice, preparation depends on whether the evidence is ready, and the initial notice after delivery can take several days or longer.
  • common questionApplicants often do not understand whether they can go through the consular stage in a country different from the one listed on the I-797 approval and whether USCIS, NVC, or the consulate must be notified in advance.
  • common questionWhy did the receipt notice for I-485 or related forms come from NBC if the case was previously at another service center?

I-797: cases from the community

EB-1A|EB-2 NIW|O-1 · not specified · approved

The applicant filed a petition with expedited review; the field and category were not disclosed.

What they did: The attorney recently sent the document package; shortly after receiving the receipt notice, the petition approval notice arrived.

I-797: questions and answers on the site

Distilled from the public community chats, anonymised; corpus as of June 2026. These are participants' observations, not legal advice and not USCIS statistics.

I-797: from community discussions

  • «I don't know how closely this case resembles yours. However, not long ago, a person received approval for EB-1 while being outside the US, having never been here. In form 140, they indicated that they would be going through the consulate in Kazakhstan. After (a week later) in the approval notice I-797, they noticed that it said they could apply for AOS. So USCIS confused things and instead of forwarding the case to NVC, they thought he was inside the US. The issue was resolved fairly quickly; they wrote about the error through a form, and they sent a new approval notice I-797 and forwarded the case to NVC.»

    Egor A. · from public community chats

  • «It's like a 'joke'; my petition was approved a month ago, but USCIS kind of glitchy and issued I-797 for status change within the states instead of the consulate. And I've been fighting with them for almost 3 weeks to correct the mistake. Today I received an update that my petition has been approved - I hope they will now issue the correct I-797.»

    Mikhail Sh. · from public community chats

  • «In general, I reached out to USCIS. I received a corrected I-797. Interestingly, my case was approved in Nebraska and the first (incorrect) I-797 was indeed from there. But the correction and adjustments were made by Texas... I hope Texas quickly forwards the case to NVC :) Overall - don't give up and keep reaching out :)»

    Mikhail Sh. · from public community chats

  • «For all Ukrainians: I just reached a live person at USCIS, she said there is no pause for applications submitted by those who arrived on U4, they are processed normally. Also, interestingly (at least for me), premium processing does not take 15 days (as I thought), it takes 15+15, meaning it is guaranteed that the notice will be received within 15 days and then a decision will be made within another 15 days, totaling 30 working days. And again, I was confirmed that this timeline will also apply to Ukrainians who arrived on U4.»

    Nikita M. · from public community chats

Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, not legal advice.

The form and instructions on the official site Check the forms before sending

I-797: related guides

I-797: samples and documents from the library

I-797: common questions

What is I-797?
Form I-797 (Notice of Action) is a notice USCIS sends you; nobody fills it in or files it. The letter after the number tells you what it is: I-797C is a receipt (or a rejection, transfer, biometrics or interview notice), I-797A is an approval that replaces your I-94, I-797B approves a worker petition, I-797E is a request for evidence. Every notice carries a 13-character receipt number - three letters and 10 digits - that you use to check the case status.
How much does I-797 cost?
Nobody files or pays for an I-797: it is a notice USCIS sends (uscis.gov, "Form I-797: Types and Functions").

Reference information from public USCIS and State Department rules, not legal advice. Fee amounts change: check them against the calculator on uscis.gov before sending.

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