My Journey to U.S. Citizenship – Step 2: Acceptance

May 10, 2012:
According to the delivery confirmation from U.S. Post Office, my N-400 application package was delivered early this morning to USCIS (P.O. Box in Phoenix, AZ).
May 11, 2012:
USCIS accepted my application and entered it into their system (as I later found out from the email notification I received).
May 15, 2012:
I received an email from USCIS notifying me that my application has been received and a receipt number has been assigned to my case. USCIS sends out notices by email only if the applicant completed Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition, which is optional.

Dear Applicant/Petitioner:

Your USCIS application/petition has been received and routed to the National Benefits Center for processing. Within 7-10 days by standard mail you will receive your official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) with your Receipt Number NBC*00269xxxx. With the official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) you may visit www.uscis.gov where you can check the status of your application using My Case Status. We suggest you wait until you have received your Form I-797 before checking My Case Status.

In addition to the email, I also received a text message on my mobile phone with essentially the same but shorter notice:

USCIS: Your application was received. Receipt # NBC*00269xxxx. Official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) to follow in mail. Msg & Data rates may apply. NO NOT REPLY.

Even though I haven’t received Form I-797, I was able to check the status of my application online using the receipt number included in the email above. Surprisingly, my case status is already at the Initial Review stage (not Acceptance as I was expecting).

On May 11, 2012, we received this N400 APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION, and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you…
During this step, USCIS initiates the background checks of the applicant/petitioner and identifies issues that may need to be addressed either during an interview or by asking the applicant/petitioner to submit additional information or documentation. USCIS reviews the applicant’s/petitioner’s criminal history, determines if there are national security concerns that need to be addressed, and reviews the application/petition for fraud indicators.

Also on May 15, 2012, my check for the payment of $680 was cashed.

May 17, 2012:
Received Form I-797 via regular mail. The notice contains three dates:

  • Received Date: May 10, 2012
  • Priority Date: May 10, 2012
  • Notice Date: May 14, 2012

Entire N-400 Citizenship Application Process:

112 thoughts on “My Journey to U.S. Citizenship – Step 2: Acceptance”

  1. Hi all,strange thing happens to me, i interviewed for citizenship, passed the test, officer told me will contact when supervisor approved or mighty need more proof of married for 3 yrs, however, in the last couple of week there were immigration officers visiting my house(no one responded while knocking my door) saying they have a special pkg for me to sign. Northing in my mail box. Anybody with such experience?

  2. @ IR_Blog,I received a notification on January 15 2013 after my particulars had been forwarded to the USCIS system some where in December 30th 2012.
    wen I checked my status online with my receipt number,I t was at the initial review stage.

    how long do u think it would take for it to move to de next stage.

    Any help?…thanks.

  3. i need help here to know duration for below stage

    my case show since dec 2012

    During the USCIS initiates the background checks of the applicant/petitioner and identifies issues that may need to be addressed either during an interview or by asking the applicant/petitioner to submit additional information or documentation. USCIS reviews the applicant’s/petitioner’s criminal history, determines if there are national security concerns that need to be addressed, and reviews the application/petition for fraud indicators.

  4. can u tell me the date ur called for biometrics in naturalisation. is it after ur priority date or before?

  5. How long does it take to get a work visa after receiving the acceptance email. Form I-797? I received the email on October 30th 2015. My husband is an American citizen.

  6. Thank you for posting this. Now I know what to expect. I have been to the US since 1980, young and stupid I have some background including felony in 1992. I finally today 2016 have the guts to finally file for citizenship because I want to travel! I got a text today they have receive my application and a Form I-797 is on it’s way, and aslo cashed my check. Question is at what point do you know your application is being rejected? Would you have any idea about this?

  7. “Rejected” usually means your application is incomplete and USICS sends it back without processing, so by now it seems more likely that your application has already been accepted. The next steps will be actual processing, including background checks, tests, and the interview. Good luck!

  8. Hi i really need someone to help me out, does anyone know if the USCIS deliver the receipt notice to an international address? Because i applied for I-130 and the form I-797 notice was returned back from the post office back to the USCIS office. I live outside United State. So was it returned back because they dont deliver internation or is it because of a different reason?

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