If your USCIS case status says “Case Was Approved,” congratulations! This means USCIS has reviewed your application, determined your eligibility, and decided to grant your Form I-539 application. You’ll often see several statuses prior to approval as your case progresses, and it can take a long time for USCIS to process and approve your application.
“Case Approved” is one of the most exciting USCIS status updates you’ll see during your Form I-539 application process. This case status means USCIS approved your request to extend your visa length or change your visa status. If you applied to extend your stay, this means you can continue to stay in the United States on your current visa. If you applied to change your nonimmigrant visa status — for example, from a study visa to an employment visa — you can move forward with your plans, such as starting a new job or enrolling in school.
When USCIS approves your Form I-539 application, it will update your case status in your USCIS account to “Case Was Approved.” You’ll also receive a Form I-797: Notice of Action in the mail. This is your official approval notice. An “Approved” status means USCIS has finished processing your I-539 application, but this won’t be your final status update. You’ll continue to get status updates when USCIS issues and mails your updated visa.
Approval is one of the last steps in the application process, so don’t expect to see this status right away after submitting your application. You can expect to see several status updates before your application is approved. Below are some common USCIS case statuses:
It’s easy to mix these two up, but “case approved” does not mean the same as “case received.” You’ll probably see “Case Was Received” at the beginning of the process when USCIS receives your application and is preparing to review it. If you submitted your Form I-539 application to a lockbox, though, your initial status might say “Case Accepted By the USCIS Lockbox.” “Accepted” means the same thing as “received” for USCIS purposes. It does not mean the same thing as “approved.”
By contrast, you’ll only see the word “Approved” in your case status when you’re nearing the end of the application process. “Approved” means USCIS has finished reviewing your Form I-539 application and has decided to grant your request to extend or change your status.
After you receive your official USCIS notice of approval (Form I-797) in the mail, you usually just need to wait to receive your updated visa. USCIS typically mails these out within about 3-14 days after mailing your approval notice. When your new visa has been mailed, USCIS will post the USPS tracking number for your card to your USCIS account.
The only way to receive your updated visa is by mail, so be sure USCIS has your correct mailing address on file. If your new visa is lost or is delivered to the wrong address, you can contact USCIS to try to fix the problem.
If you move while your application is in process, you must update your address with USCIS. Filing a change of address or mail forwarding form with the USPS doesn’t update your address in the USCIS system. If you see one of the following as your case status, that’s a warning that USCIS might not have your current address:
USCIS has approved your request to change your status or extend your stay, so congratulations! But don’t celebrate too much yet. You still need to keep an eye on your case status until you’ve received your updated visa. Some status updates you may see after your case is approved include:
Staying aware of your status changes lets you act right away if there’s a problem. You can monitor your case status through your USCIS account. You can also check your status online with the USCIS case tracking tool using your 13-digit receipt number. USCIS will continue to send notice of status updates by mail as well.
USCIS has approved your request to change or extend your nonimmigrant status, so you probably don’t need to hire a lawyer at this point. If your application is taking much longer than the usual processing times, try contacting USCIS to see if they can resolve the delay. If that doesn’t work, an experienced lawyer may be able to help.
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