The I-824 Application for Action on an Approved Petition is a USCIS form that should be used when an applicant loses or can’t find an approval notice. As part of several immigration processes, the USCIS asks applicants to often attach approval notices to their application packages to verify that they providing all of the necessary requirements. However, if you lose an approval notice that the USCIS has sent to you, it is not an agency that will be very helpful in sending you a duplicate copy.
Instead, applicants will need to fill out another form requesting action on something that was already approved. For example, an approved I-130 Petition copy is needed to adjust your status in the United States for many applicants filing an I-485. If you lose the I-130 approval, your best bet is to file an I-824 stating your case.
Here are some other reasons an immigrant might need to file an I-824:
- To notify, and request that a different U.S. consulate receive notice of a USCIS approved petition or waiver because the applicant has moved since the original petition was filed
- To request that the USCIS send your approved I-130 petition to the National Visa Center because you will be proceeding with your green card application from abroad
Step by Step completing this application
The application is 7 pages in length and the filing fee for this application is 465 dollars. Your completed form must be sent by mail to the USCIS lockbox indicated in the instructions on the form.
In Part 1, applicants need to provide information about themselves, such as their mailing and physical address, their A-number, USCIS online account number (if applicable), as well as their current or recent immigration status.
In Part 2, applicants need to state the reason for their request. Questions 1a-1e ask applicants to check the appropriate box pertaining to their situation:
- Asking the USCIS to send their approved immigrant visa petition to the NVC
- Asking the USCIS to notify a U.S. consulate about their adjustment of status to PR in the United States
- Asking for a duplicate approval notice
- Asking the USCIS to notify a new U.S. consulate about an approved I-130 petition
In Part 3, applicants need to have their I-797 (document the USCIS uses to communicate with applicants once they have received an application) at the ready and be able to enter their I-797 receipt number. They also need the date they filed a specific application that has been approved but has since been lost, such as the I-130 petition.
Additionally, in Part 3, applicants can also list their dependents (children) for whom they are requesting follow-to-join benefits. This section is applicable to those who checked the box in Part 2, question 1c, “USCIS to notify a U.S. consulate through the NVC about my adjustment of status to permanent resident in the United States”.
There are three drop-downs to enter information for dependents (name, date of birth, country of birth, nationality, their relationship to the principal applicant, and their email address if applicable). Principal applications will also need to enter the foreign address of any dependents listed. If there is more than one address, it will need to be listed under Part 7, Additional Information.
Part 4 is the principal applicant's signature, and Part 5 and 6 should be filled out with personal information of any translator or preparer who helped the principal applicant if needed.
Processing Time
According to the Customs and Border Patrol Agency (CBP), applicants should be advised that the processing of their I-824 may take at least 90 days. A full review of circumstances can take up to six months or longer.
