Let our deep legal expertise and technology-enabled processes guide you in your U.S. immigration journey
Home > Blog > Other Immigration Matters
Last Updated On: January 17, 2024 | Published On: July 9, 2021
Awaiting an answer from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding the status of your application is often the most stressful part of the process. Luckily, there are some ways you can alleviate the burden of waiting and get up-to-the-minute updates with USCIS’s electronic notification tools. Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, is used in order to request an electronic notification from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services when they have received and accepted your immigration application. The electronic notification that USCIS sends will be in the form of a text message or email.
This form is one of the most simple to fill out because it only asks for:
You should complete the portion of the form below and attach it to the first page of your immigration application forms. There is no fee with filing the G-1145.
It is highly recommended for individuals sending their immigration application forms to a USCIS lockbox to fill out Form G-1145 along with their package. Including this form will guarantee that you know when USCIS has received and accepted your application at the earliest point. If you opt not to include Form G 1145 then you will still be notified from USCIS by mail but it could be a week or more longer than the electronic notifications. Plus, if you travel and are not home to receive your mail, you may miss the USCIS updates. If you are filing an application and sending it to a USCIS field office or service center you should not file Form G 1145. It is designed for applications being sent only to USCIS lockbox facilities (Lewisville, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Phoenix, Arizona).
Filing out Form G 1145 is very easy. Simply download the PDF form, fill out the applicant/petitioner’s full name (first, last, middle) as well as the desired email address and mobile phone number to receive text messages, then print it out and attache it to the first page of your immigration application package. No fee needs to be included to file Form G-1145. You could receive notifications as quickly as 24 hours after your application has been accepted or a few days later.
Once your immigration application is complete and ready to submit to the lockbox facility, you should download Form G-1145, fill it out and clip it to the first page of your petition paperwork.
The G-1145 can be filed alongside:
Regardless of whether you file Form G 1145, USCIS sends receipt notices by mail when they receive and accept your immigration application. Be aware however, that this will take longer to receive than if you elect for electronic notifications and since it does not cost extra, it is advised to do so.
Form G 1145 does not provide case updates past the initial notification that USCIS has received and accepted your application for processing. If you want to get case updates throughout the course of the process you should sign up for a myUSCIS account. After creating your account you can turn on case status notifications.
There is no filing fee to file Form G-1145.
While times can vary by case, typically it takes 2-3 weeks to receive a receipt notices from USCIS. Due to COVID-19, additional delays have occurred. In response to pandemic related delays for I-765 Employment Authorization Receipt Notices, USCIS has said that the delays will not affect the received date because all submissions are date stamped upon arrival at the Lockbox, so regardless of when the Lockbox processes your application, your received date will reflect the date it actually arrived at the Lockbox.
The e notification of application petition acceptance is the text message or email you sign up for using Form G 1145 to be alerted when USCIS receives your application package.
If USCIS approves your petition then the next steps are for your case to be transferred to the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) for processing. You can check the status of any pending application by using your 13-character receipt number on the USCIS site. You can also call USCIS directly by phone at 1-800-375-5283 or make an appointment at a local office. Again, the most convenient way is to sign up for automatic updates with your myUSCIS account.
These forms are not the same thing. USCIS sends Form I-797C to applicants or petitioners to communicate with them regarding an application receipt/case number, rejections, transfer or appointment details (time, date, location, etc). Whether you elect to file Form G-1145, USCIS will mail out Form I-797C, Notice of Action. Form G-1145 is a request form you file telling USCIS you wish to receive electronic notifications by text message/email.
We recommend a legal immigration professional always review your application package prior to sending it to USCIS. If you make any types of mistakes when filing, it could result is substantial time delays in processing your case and potentially additional fees. To alleviate the stress of delays, RFEs and possible denials it is highly advised to secure an experienced immigration lawyer.
