The I-485 approval notice and the welcome notice are two separate pieces of mail USCIS sends after adjustment of status is granted, and they do different jobs. The approval notice is a Form I-797, Notice of Action, and it is your formal legal proof that you are now a lawful permanent resident. The welcome notice is a separate letter, titled “Welcome to the United States of America,” that reads more like an orientation packet: it confirms the approval and walks you through your new rights and responsibilities. Both arrive before your physical green card, and both matter, but only one is the document an employer, attorney, or government agency will ask to see.
What the Approval Notice Is
The approval notice is the legally operative document. It comes on Form I-797 and carries the details that identify your case and your status: a 13-character receipt number (three letters followed by ten digits), your USCIS A-number, the classification your adjustment was approved under, and your priority date.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checking Your Case Status Online Keep it somewhere safe. During the weeks between approval and card delivery, this is the paper that proves your adjustment was completed.
One thing to look for on the approval notice is whether your permanent residence is conditional or unconditional. If your green card was granted through a marriage that was less than two years old on the approval date, or through the EB-5 investor program, you receive conditional status lasting only two years. Everyone else receives standard ten-year permanent residence. The card’s eventual expiration date will confirm this, but the approval notice is where the distinction first appears in writing.
Conditional Residents Have a Filing Deadline
If the approval notice shows conditional status, mark your calendar immediately. You must file Form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) during the 90-day window right before your two-year conditional period expires.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. When to File Your Petition to Remove Conditions If you file jointly with your spouse, both of you sign. Miss the window entirely and you lose your permanent resident status automatically and become removable.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-751, Instructions for Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence There is no grace period and no automatic extension. If your marriage has ended or your spouse will not file jointly, you can file a waiver on your own, but the timing still applies.
What the Welcome Notice Is
The welcome notice usually arrives a few days after the approval notice. It restates your A-number and receipt number and tells you to expect the physical card in the mail shortly, but most of the letter is educational. It summarizes what you can now do as a permanent resident, lays out your responsibilities, and points you toward resources for new residents.
The responsibility the welcome notice most wants you to notice is the duty to report any change of address to USCIS within ten days of moving. That rule comes from federal statute and applies to virtually all non-citizens in the United States, permanent residents included.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Address Reporting You can update your address online through the USCIS website.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address Skipping the ten-day filing can create complications with later applications, including naturalization, so treat every move as a hard deadline.
How the Two Notices Fit Together
The approval notice comes first, typically followed within a few days by the welcome notice. Neither one is your green card. Your permanent resident card (Form I-551) ships separately through USPS Priority Mail under the USCIS Secure Mail Initiative, with delivery confirmation tracking.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Track Delivery of Your Notice or Secure Identity Document (or Card) To get a tracking number, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 at least two weeks after receiving the approval notice.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Improves Delivery of Immigration Documents through Secure Mail Initiative The USPS Informed Delivery service, which shows scanned images of incoming mail, is another way to see the card coming.
If the card has not shown up, wait before assuming the worst. USCIS asks that you give it at least 90 days after the approval notice before filing a non-delivery inquiry.8USCIS. Non-Delivery of Card Production backlogs happen, especially during peak filing periods. After 90 days, you can submit an inquiry through the USCIS website. In the meantime, make sure your mailbox is clearly labeled and physically secure.
How to Use Each Document
Treat the approval notice as your working proof of status until the card arrives. It is the document to show an employer completing I-9 reverification, an attorney handling any follow-on filing, or an agency checking that your adjustment was in fact granted. Store the original where you can find it, and keep a copy separate from it.
Treat the welcome notice as your checklist. The address-reporting rule is the biggest item on it, but the letter also serves as a written reminder of the shift in your obligations now that you are a permanent resident. When your Social Security card needs updating, that shift is why: before adjustment, your card likely carried a restrictive legend reading “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION” or “NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT.”9Social Security Administration. Types of Social Security Cards As a permanent resident, you qualify for an unrestricted card. If you checked the box on the I-485 requesting a Social Security card, SSA will mail a replacement automatically after USCIS reports the approval, and you do not need to visit an SSA office.10Social Security Administration. Apply For Your Social Security Number While Applying For Your Work Permit and/or Lawful Permanent Residency If you did not check the box, or the automatic replacement doesn’t arrive, you can apply online and bring your green card as proof of your new status.11Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status
Checking the Card When It Arrives
When the physical card shows up, check every field before filing anything away: name, date of birth, country of birth, A-number, and expiration date. If USCIS made a mistake, you can file Form I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card) at no cost. If the error traces back to something incorrect on your original application, you owe the standard filing fee. For 2026, the I-90 fee is $415 online and $465 on paper, with biometrics included in both. Form I-90 is also the form to use if the card is later lost, stolen, or damaged. Applicants who cannot afford the fee can request a waiver on Form I-912, filed by mail with documentation of hardship.12USCIS. Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
One Boundary on the Approval Notice
The approval notice proves your status inside the country, but it will not get you through passport control at the border on its own. If you need to travel internationally before your card arrives, request a temporary I-551 stamp (also called an ADIT stamp) in your passport from a USCIS field office. The stamp is official proof of permanent resident status and is valid for up to one year.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces Additional Mail Delivery Process for Receiving ADIT Stamp You can request an appointment through the USCIS online scheduling tool or by calling the Contact Center.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. My Appointment In some cases USCIS will mail the stamped document rather than requiring an in-person visit, though people with urgent travel or unverifiable records still need to appear at a field office.