What does “Case Was Received And A Receipt Notice Was Sent” mean?
USCIS has accepted your filing and given it a receipt number. Nothing has been reviewed yet.
Checked against USCIS guidance on October 17, 2026. The sources are listed at the end of this page.
What this status means
Your application or petition arrived, USCIS accepted it, and it created a case with a receipt number. USCIS also shows this message as “Case Was Received And A Receipt Notice Was Sent”; both mean the same thing.
The receipt notice is a Form I-797C. It carries your receipt number, which is three letters followed by ten numbers, and a “Received Date”, which USCIS treats as your filing date.
It confirms the filing is in the system. It does not mean an officer has looked at it, and the notice itself says that it does not grant any immigration status or benefit.
What usually happens next
- Your receipt notice arrives by mail if it hasn’t already. If your form needs biometrics, a separate appointment notice usually follows.
- The status can stay on “Case Was Received” for a long time. That is normal while the case waits in line.
3 steps · Checklist
Next steps: Case Was Received
What to do now, as a checklist you can save and tick off.
Keep your receipt notice safe
Keep the receipt notice somewhere safe. You need the receipt number for tracking and for every inquiry.
Check the details on your notice
Check your name, date of birth and address on the notice. If USCIS got something wrong, ask it to correct the notice through an online inquiry or the USCIS Contact Center.
Update your address with USCIS if you move
If you move, update your address with USCIS itself. USPS does not forward mail from USCIS.
Free, and yours to edit — tick items off on the web or in the MyCheck app.
What if my receipt notice has not arrived?
If you mailed your application to a service center or the National Benefits Center more than 30 days ago and have no receipt, USCIS asks you to contact it. Do the same if the online status says another notice was sent more than 14 days ago and it has not reached you.
Does “Case Was Received” mean I have status or permission to work?
No. A receipt notice proves you filed, and nothing more: USCIS prints on it that it does not grant any immigration status or benefit. Any benefit comes from a later approval, and some filings come with their own rules about what a pending case allows.
Which date on the receipt notice is my filing date?
The “Received Date”. USCIS says the date it records a filing as received is the filing date, and it prints it in that box on the notice.
Read more
Sources
General information about how USCIS status messages are used, not legal advice. The notices USCIS mails you are the official record for your case.
