When you mail an immigration petition to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the wait for confirmation that it arrived safely can stretch for weeks. Form G-1145, officially known as the E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, is a free, optional form that closes that gap. By submitting it alongside an eligible petition, applicants receive an email or text notification within 24 hours of USCIS accepting the filing — providing earlier awareness and one less source of uncertainty during an already complex process.
What Form G-1145 does
Form G-1145 requests that USCIS send an electronic notification — by email, text message, or both — when an immigration application or petition mailed to a USCIS lockbox facility is accepted into the system. The notification confirms that the filing has been received and logged, but it is not the same as an approval and does not affect how the petition is adjudicated or how quickly it is processed.
The formal receipt notice — Form I-797C, Notice of Action — is still issued separately and sent by mail, typically within several weeks of filing. Form G-1145 simply provides earlier confirmation that the package arrived and was accepted, which can be particularly valuable when official mail is slow, an applicant is managing multiple concurrent filings, or there is concern that a package may have been lost in transit.
Who can use it
There is no eligibility requirement to file Form G-1145 beyond one practical limitation: the form is only available for petitions mailed to a USCIS lockbox facility. It cannot be used for online filings or for petitions sent to USCIS service centers.
Not all petition types are eligible for electronic notifications. Common filings frequently associated with Form G-1145 include:
- Family-based Green Card petitions filed using Form I-130
- Employment-based Green Card petitions filed using Form I-140
- Adjustment of status applications filed using Form I-485
- Work permit requests filed using Form I-765
- Travel document requests filed using Form I-131
Petitions for nonimmigrant work visas, such as Form I-129, are generally not eligible. Applicants should confirm whether their specific petition qualifies by reviewing the eligible forms list on the USCIS Form G-1145 page before submitting.
How to complete and submit it
Form G-1145 is among the simplest forms in the USCIS catalog. It contains only five fields: first name, middle name, last name, email address, and mobile phone number. Completing it takes only a few minutes.
The form should be placed at the front of the application package — on top of the primary petition and all supporting documents — before mailing. For applicants submitting multiple petitions in a single package, a separate Form G-1145 should be clipped to the front of each individual petition. USCIS will send a separate notification for each form accepted.
If contact information changes after the package has been mailed, applicants should contact USCIS directly to update their details.
What to expect after filing
Once the package arrives at the USCIS lockbox facility, Form G-1145 is scanned first. Within 24 hours of USCIS accepting the application, the applicant should receive an email or text confirming receipt. This notification serves as early confirmation that the filing has been entered into the USCIS system.
To continue tracking case progress after that point, applicants can use the USCIS Case Status Online tool once the receipt number from the formal Form I-797C notice has been received by mail.
If Form G-1145 is not included in the filing package, the petition will still be processed normally. The only difference is that the applicant will not receive an electronic notification and will need to wait for the paper receipt notice to arrive.
Why it is worth including
Form G-1145 does not change the outcome of a petition, accelerate processing, or alter any aspect of how USCIS evaluates a case. Its value is purely informational — but in the context of immigration filings, where paper notices can take weeks to arrive and the stakes of a lost or delayed confirmation can be significant, that early notification carries real practical weight.
For applicants preparing a filing package, including Form G-1145 costs nothing and adds a straightforward layer of peace of mind. For those who want guidance on what to include in a complete, well-organized filing package, working with experienced immigration counsel is a practice frequently associated with fewer avoidable complications and greater confidence throughout the process.
