Form I-797A Notice of Action: I-94, I-9 Use, and Travel

Form I-797A is the approval notice U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sends when it grants a change of status or extension of stay for someone already inside the United States. What makes it different from every other I-797 variant is the perforated tear-off at the bottom: a paper I-94 Arrival-Departure Record that serves as your official proof of your new nonimmigrant classification and the dates you are authorized to remain in the country. You do not fill this form out. USCIS produces it, mails it to you, and your job is to read it correctly, use it where it counts, and keep it safe.

What Appears on the Notice

The top portion is the approval notice. It carries the details you and your employer will refer back to for months or years:

Receipt number: a 13-character code, three letters followed by ten numbers, that tracks your case.¹
Case type: the underlying form USCIS approved, such as I-129 (nonimmigrant worker petition) or I-539 (change or extension of status).
Petitioner and beneficiary names: the sponsor who filed and the person who benefits.
Notice date: when USCIS issued the approval.
Validity dates: the start and end of your authorized stay. These match the dates on the I-94 below.
Classification: your approved category, such as H-1B, L-1, or O-1.

The notice is printed on security paper. Store the original somewhere safe and use photocopies for daily purposes.

The Paper I-94 at the Bottom

The tear-off strip is a paper I-94 showing your name, an I-94 number, class of admission, and the date your authorized stay expires. It is the most important piece of the document because it is your legal proof of status.

An important quirk trips people up here. The paper I-94 attached to your I-797A is not the same record as the electronic I-94 that Customs and Border Protection creates when you enter at an airport or land crossing. The two systems are not linked. If you check CBP’s online I-94 lookup after your I-797A arrives, you may still see the old entry record. Your I-797A’s paper I-94 is what governs your status until you next leave and return, at which point CBP will issue a fresh electronic I-94 that replaces it.

Detach the perforated section cleanly and keep it with your passport.

When USCIS Sends an I-797A Rather Than an I-797B

You receive an I-797A when USCIS approves something that changes or extends your nonimmigrant status while you are physically inside the United States. The two typical situations:

Change of status: switching between nonimmigrant categories without leaving. A common example is an F-1 student whose employer files an H-1B petition asking USCIS to change the student’s status. On approval, the I-797A comes with a new I-94 showing H-1B.²
Extension of stay: staying in the same category with new end dates. Workers in H-1B, L-1, O-1, and similar categories file for these as their current period runs out.

If the petition was for someone outside the country who will pick up a visa at a consulate, USCIS sends an I-797B instead. That version has no I-94 attached because CBP will issue one at the port of entry.

Using the I-797A for I-9 Employment Verification

When you start a new job or your employer reverifies your work authorization on Form I-9, the I-94 portion of your I-797A, showing a class of admission that authorizes employment, works as a List C document establishing employment authorization. Combined with a List B document such as a driver’s license, it satisfies the I-9. Your employer should record the document title, the I-94 number, and the expiration date.

One point employers sometimes miss: the approval notice by itself is not an Employment Authorization Document. The right to work flows from the underlying status shown on the I-94. If your classification does not independently authorize employment, holding an I-797A does not give you that authorization.

Traveling Abroad and Coming Back

The I-797A proves your status inside the country. It is not a visa and does not by itself allow you to re-enter. If you leave while holding one, you generally need a valid visa stamp in your passport before returning, obtained at a U.S. embassy or consulate.³

Timing matters. If you leave the United States while USCIS is still reviewing a pending change-of-status request, the agency treats that change-of-status portion as abandoned. The underlying petition itself may still be approved, but you would need to obtain a visa abroad and re-enter to activate the new status instead of it taking effect automatically.³

Automatic Visa Revalidation for Short Trips

There is a narrow exception for trips to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands lasting fewer than 30 days. Under automatic visa revalidation, certain nonimmigrants can re-enter with an expired visa stamp if they carry a valid passport, their I-94, and meet the other requirements. The regulation treats the expired visa as automatically extended through the date of readmission.⁴

You cannot use automatic revalidation if:

You are a national of a country designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Your visa was previously cancelled or revoked.
You entered the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.
You applied for a new U.S. visa while abroad and it was denied or is still pending.

If you qualify, carry the I-797A with its I-94, your passport, and any related status documents. Border officers will check them.

Updating Your Social Security Record

After a change or extension of status, your Social Security record may need updating, especially if your old record carries a work-restriction notation that no longer applies. You do this by requesting a replacement Social Security card, which you can start online through the Social Security Administration’s website. The process includes an in-person appointment where you bring proof of identity and proof of your new immigration status, meaning your I-797A and passport. The replacement card arrives by mail within 5 to 10 business days.⁵

Fixing Errors on the Notice or the I-94

If the I-797A arrives with a misspelled name, a wrong date of birth, an incorrect classification code, or another typographical error caused by USCIS, request a correction through the USCIS e-Request portal under the “Typographic Error” category. You will need your receipt number, A-number if you have one, the specific item that is wrong, your original filing date, and an email address.⁶

If the mistake is on the I-94 portion, the correction may go through Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document. When USCIS caused the error through no fault of yours, the $560 filing fee is waived. Qualifying examples include misspelled names, inverted dates of birth, incorrect class-of-admission codes, and wrong expiration dates. If the error stemmed from information you supplied or failed to supply, you pay the full fee. If CBP rather than USCIS created the error, Form I-102 is not the right mechanism, and you would contact CBP directly.⁷

Replacing a Lost I-94

If you lose the paper I-94 that came with your I-797A, file Form I-102 with USCIS along with the $560 fee.⁸ Include a copy of the biographic page of your passport and a copy of the page showing your admission stamp, along with any other evidence of your identity and claimed admission.⁹

Form I-102 replaces the I-94, not the approval notice itself. Hold onto the top portion of your I-797A even after the I-94 is gone; it remains evidence of your approved petition. While waiting for the replacement, a photocopy of the original I-94, if you happen to have one, can help demonstrate status informally, though it may not satisfy every official requirement.

Checking Case Status and Premium Processing

You can confirm that an approval notice has been issued, or track a pending case, through the USCIS Case Status Online tool at egov.uscis.gov. Enter your 13-character receipt number without dashes. If your receipt number includes an asterisk, enter it as shown on the notice.¹ The tool tells you whether the case has been received, is under review, or has been approved, denied, or transferred.

If you need the I-797A sooner, premium processing may be available for the underlying petition. Filing Form I-907 alongside an I-129 or I-140 guarantees USCIS action within 15 calendar days. For I-539 applications covering extensions and changes of status, the window is 30 days. “Action” does not necessarily mean approval; USCIS may approve, deny, or issue a Request for Evidence within the timeframe. If USCIS misses the window, it refunds the premium processing fee and continues working the case.¹⁰

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Case Status Online – Case Status Search
2
Carnegie Mellon University. Changing from F-1 to H-1B Status – Office of International Education
3
University of California, Santa Cruz. Travel and Re-entry
4
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.1
5
Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Typographic Error
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-102)
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-907 Instructions for Request for Premium Processing Service