Form G-1145 is a free, optional one-page request you clip to the front of a paper immigration application so USCIS sends you an email or text message confirming it received your package. The notification goes out within 24 hours of acceptance and includes the receipt number you’ll use to track your case online.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance It only works with filings mailed to a USCIS Lockbox, and it isn’t needed if you file online, because the USCIS account system confirms submissions automatically.
When Form G-1145 Applies
The e-notification service is available only for applications sent to a USCIS Lockbox facility.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance If your form instructions direct you to mail your package to a USCIS Service Center or a local Field Office, G-1145 won’t produce a notification for that filing. Always check the mailing address in the instructions for your specific form before attaching one.
Online filers don’t need it at all. The USCIS online account provides instant digital confirmation of a submission, so the form exists to bridge the gap only for paper filers who would otherwise wait for a mailed receipt notice. Many common Lockbox-processed forms are eligible, including I-130, I-140, I-485, I-765, I-90, and N-400. USCIS keeps the full list of Lockbox-processed forms on its website.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Processed at a USCIS Lockbox
What Information the Form Asks For
G-1145 is short. It asks for three things:
- Your full legal name (last, first, middle) as it appears on your application
- The email address where you want the notification sent
- The mobile phone number for a text message
You can provide an email, a mobile number, or both. Filers outside the United States will only receive email; the text option is limited to domestic filers.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
Download the current edition directly from the USCIS website, and check that the edition date and page numbers print at the bottom of the form. USCIS may reject a form if pages are missing or come from different editions.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
How to File It With Your Application
Print and complete the form, then clip it to the front of the first page of your application package.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance Intake staff look for it on top of the packet, so placement matters. There’s no filing fee.
Once the Lockbox accepts your package, USCIS sends the notification within 24 hours. That clock runs from acceptance, not from delivery, so packages arriving right before a weekend or federal holiday can take a little longer to trigger the alert.
Filing Several Forms Together
If you’re mailing multiple forms for one person in the same envelope, clip a single G-1145 to the front of the first form. You’ll receive a separate email or text for each form USCIS accepts, so a package containing both an I-485 and an I-765 would generate two notifications.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
Attorneys or representatives bundling unrelated applications from different clients in one envelope handle it differently. Each related group of forms needs its own G-1145 clipped to the front. The message will include the receipt number but not the applicant’s name, because the notification isn’t sent over a secure network.4Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
What the Notification Contains and What It Doesn’t
The email or text includes your unique 13-character receipt number: a three-letter prefix such as EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC, or IOE, followed by 10 digits.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number Enter that number in the Case Status Online tool to track the case going forward.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online
The notification confirms only that USCIS accepted your filing. It doesn’t cover later milestones like biometrics, interview scheduling, or a decision, and it grants no immigration status or benefit.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance USCIS will separately mail you Form I-797C, Notice of Action, within about 10 days of acceptance. The I-797C is your legal proof that your case is pending, and it’s what you should keep for employment verification, travel, or any agency that asks for evidence of a pending application.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
If the Notification Never Arrives
Start with your spam or junk folder. The most common reasons a G-1145 alert doesn’t reach you are a typo in the email or phone number, the form not being clipped to the front of the package, or an outdated or incomplete edition of the form.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
A missing e-notification doesn’t mean your application was lost. USCIS says a mailed receipt notice should arrive within 30 days of Lockbox filing. If 30 days pass with no email, no text, and no I-797C in the mail, wait until at least 60 days from your filing date and then submit an inquiry through the USCIS e-Request tool for non-delivery of a notice.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Non-Delivery of Notice You’ll need your filing date, the form type, your receipt number if you have one, and your A-Number if applicable.