Follow your adjustment of status from receipt to card in hand, and hear the moment USCIS updates it.
Use the receipt number from the I-797C notice for your I-485, not the I-130 or I-140. 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.
Your biometrics appointment is done. USCIS has recorded that your fingerprints, photo and signature were taken.
Next: USCIS uses them for background and security checks. The case then waits for an officer; the next update is often an interview notice, a Request for Evidence or a decision.
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.
Your case is in the queue for an interview at a USCIS field office. It's past the initial steps and waiting for a slot.
Next: When a slot opens, the status changes to 'Interview Was Scheduled' and the notice is mailed. The wait depends on the office and can be weeks or months.
Your interview is booked. The notice in the mail has the date, time and office.
Next: Prepare your original documents and arrive early. Approvals often follow within weeks of the interview.
You had your interview, but the officer didn't make a final decision at the end of it. The case needs more review first.
Next: Many cases are decided within weeks, some take longer, for example while checks finish or a supervisor reviews the file. If the officer asked for more documents, send them by the date you were given.
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.
USCIS denied the application or petition. The notice explains why.
Next: Depending on the case you may be able to appeal, file a motion or refile. Talk to an immigration attorney quickly; deadlines are short.
The I-485 is the application to become a permanent resident from inside the U.S. Most people file it with a work permit application (I-765) and often a travel document (I-131). Each has its own receipt number and its own status, and they rarely move on the same day.
If your I-485 is based on a family petition (I-130) or an employer petition (I-140), that petition has its own receipt number too. Track every receipt number, not just the I-485.
After the receipt notice, USCIS schedules biometrics (fingerprints and photo). Then the case waits for an officer. Many family-based cases and some employment-based cases are scheduled for an interview at a field office; others are approved without one.
After approval, the status moves to card production and then mailing. The card usually arrives a couple of weeks after it's mailed.
Long stretches with no change are normal, especially while the case waits for an interview or for a visa number in employment-based categories. If your case is older than USCIS's published processing time for your field office, you can submit a case inquiry.
Enter the I-485 receipt number above. It's on the I-797C receipt notice and usually starts with IOE, MSC, NBC, EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC. You'll see the status, what it means and what usually comes next.
It depends on the category and the field office handling your case. CaseTracker Personal estimates your decision date from real I-485 cases decided in the last year, and our processing times page shows how long the form is taking now.
Many do, especially family-based cases, but USCIS can waive it. A status of 'Case Is Ready To Be Scheduled For An Interview' or an interview notice tells you yours will have one.
Yes. The I-765 and I-131 filed with an I-485 are decided separately and usually earlier. They don't mean the green card has been decided.
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