If you apply for any immigration process, you will undoubtedly be very eager to hear whether your application is denied or approved. In some cases, such as employment authorization, you’ll want to know right away when your application is approved. In general, the USCIS will mail you a letter to indicate the outcome of your application. However, you can also check USCIS case status before this letter is sent.
The first step you will want to take is to take a look at the average processing times for the immigration you applied for. This can give you a sense of how long it can take to hear back. This will give you a sense of when you need to start following up with the USCIS.
You can also check your USCIS case status by referring to the USCIS case number, which can be found on the I-797 receipt notice that the USCIS will send you once you have completed an immigration application or petition. This thirteen character case number is assigned to most applications processed through the USCIS When you check your case status online, by phone, or through some other means, enter the case number without any dashes or spaces between the numbers and characters.
The case number also indicates important things about your immigration application. For example, the first three letters or characters refer to the service center in charge of your case. The next two numbers after that refer to the USCIS fiscal year. The three characters after that refer to the date that your case is received. The next digit is for internal use for the USCIS. The final four digits of the receipt number are specific to your case.
When trying to check your immigration status, it is important to have this case number on hand. You can check your USCIS case status by phone, via e-mail, mail, or in person through an Infopass request. Checking your information online is usually the simplest way and is also very accurate, as the USCIS generally updates their online information fairly regularly. If you want to check your immigration status or USCIS case status, visit the USCIS My Case Status search page. This is where you can enter your case number to get instant information about your status. You can also visit the same page to set up an account to receive automatic case status updates to your e-mail account. When there is a change to immigration status or case status, the USCIS will automatically send you an e-mail telling you of the event. On the same web page, you can sign-up to receive text messages instead of e-mail messages to alert you to immigration or case status changes. You will need a US cell phone number in order to sign up for this service. You can also check your case status by phone by calling the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. You will need your application receipt number and you will have to follow the voice prompts in order to get a status update.
