USCIS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) handling the bulk of applications for immigrant benefits in the U.S.

Refer to the sample USCIS receipt on this page as a guide. Find your USCIS case receipt notice (e.g. I-765). You need the case receipt number (e.g. IOE1234567890), the category (e.g. C09, C14, etc.), and the USCIS office that is processing your case (e.g. Potomac Service Center, National Benefits Center, etc.). Once you have this information, go to the USCIS Case Status Page, enter your receipt number, and find out your case status. You can check the USCIS Process Times Page to find out if your case is within normal processing times. You need to select the form type (e.g. I-765), the category (e.g. C09), and the service center processing your case (e.g. Potomac Service Center). This will show the average processing times for your type of case.

Sometimes, USCIS applications take an extremely long time to be approved. Make sure to check the USCIS Case Status Page with your USCIS receipt number to make sure you didn’t miss an update.

If your case has been pending for a long time, you should compare your case to the average processing times provided in the USCIS Process Times Page. You need to select the form type (e.g. I-765, I-130, I-485, I-821, etc.), the category (e.g. C09), and the service center processing your case (e.g. Potomac Service Center).

If your USCIS case is within normal processing times, then you have to continue waiting. This can be very frustrating, especially if your job or driver’s license is tied to your application, but, unless there are extremely urgent circumstances at stake, USCIS will not expedite a case that is within normal processing times.

If, however, your USCIS case is outside normal processing times, then please contact your attorney to follow-up on your existing case, or, if you are not currently a client, call us to make an appointment to hire us to help.

You can make your own USCIS online account quickly. You just need a personal email address and cell phone to be able to verify your identity and create the account. With a USCIS account, you will get notices about status updates on your pending application, so that you don’t accidentally miss a mailed notice or appointment date. Go to the USCIS Account Creation Page to get started. The process takes less than 10 minutes and can be done by phone.

Note: if you already filed an application with USCIS and have the receipt notice, you might have an “online access code” that you can use to add the case to your account. Check your USCIS receipts for this code. The code will expire (usually in around 60-90 days), but you can always request a new one if you failed to register your account.

USCIS charges fees for filing most types of applications. The fees do not change often, but sometimes they increase or decrease. If you want to verify the cost to file a certain application, go to the USCIS Fee Page, or to the page for the certain type of application you intend to file, to find out more.

Note: on April 1, 2024, many fees changed in a sweeping update to the USCIS application fee schedule. Many fees increased in cost, but some fees were reduced or removed entirely.

If you have a pending application with USCIS or are in any form of immigration status that requires renewal, then you should notify USCIS within 5 days of an address change, along with your attorney.

The best way to change your address with USCIS is through your USCIS online account, which you can create for free, if you do not already have one.

Additionally, if you have a pending or administratively closed immigration court case, then you should contact your attorney immediately to update the court.