Know the day your travel document is approved, so you can plan the trip with the document in hand.
Use the receipt number from the I-797C notice for your I-131. Free, no sign-up.
Want automatic updates? Get alerts on WhatsApp after you check.
USCIS updates cases at random hours and the letter takes a week to arrive. We check your case every few hours and message you the moment it moves.
USCIS accepted your filing and sent a receipt notice (Form I-797C).
Next: Keep the receipt number. Biometrics, if needed, usually come next within a few weeks.
USCIS needs your fingerprints and photo. An appointment notice is on its way or already arrived.
Next: Go to the Application Support Center on the date shown. Bring the notice and a photo ID.
An officer is working on your case. It's a normal step, not a sign of a problem.
Next: This status can last weeks or months. The next update is often an approval, an interview or a Request for Evidence.
USCIS needs more documents before it can decide. The letter lists exactly what is missing.
Next: Respond by the deadline on the notice, usually 87 days. Many people have an immigration attorney review the response.
USCIS approved your case. The approval notice is in the mail.
Next: If a card comes with this benefit, expect a 'Card Is Being Produced' and 'Card Was Mailed' update next.
Your case is approved and your card is being printed.
Next: The card usually ships within 1 to 2 weeks. You will see 'Card Was Mailed To Me' with a tracking number.
Your card is in the mail. USCIS often includes a USPS tracking number.
Next: Track it with USPS. If it doesn't arrive within 30 days, contact USCIS.
If you're in the U.S. with a pending I-485, leaving the country without advance parole can cause USCIS to treat your green card application as abandoned. Advance parole, requested on Form I-131, is the travel document that lets you leave and come back while the case is pending.
There are exceptions, for example some H-1B and L-1 holders who keep their status and travel on a valid visa. Whether one applies to you is a question for your attorney, not a guess.
If you filed the I-131 together with an I-765 based on your pending I-485, USCIS usually issues one combo card that works as both a work permit and advance parole. In that case you'll see 'New Card Is Being Produced' and 'Card Was Mailed To Me' after approval.
A standalone advance parole is usually issued as a paper document (Form I-512L) mailed to you. Either way, don't travel until you have the actual document in hand.
Advance parole lets you ask to be let back in; it doesn't guarantee it. Officers at the border still inspect you. If you've ever been out of status, overstayed or had other immigration issues, talk to an immigration attorney before leaving.
Leaving the U.S. while the I-131 itself is still pending generally abandons the advance parole application too. For urgent travel, USCIS can sometimes issue emergency advance parole through an appointment with a local office.
Enter the receipt number from your I-131 receipt notice above. You'll see the current status, what it means and the history, and you can turn on alerts.
It varies by office and case type. Instead of a national average, CaseTracker Personal estimates your decision date from real I-131 cases decided in the last year.
Generally no. Leaving before it's approved usually abandons the I-131, and if you have a pending I-485 it can abandon that too. Talk to an immigration attorney before any travel.
A single card that serves as both a work permit (EAD) and advance parole. USCIS usually issues one when the I-765 and I-131 were filed based on a pending I-485.
No. It authorizes you to seek re-entry, but you are still inspected at the border. If you have any past status issues, get legal advice before you travel.