I-797B — Notice of Action (Approval for I-140/I-526)

USCIS’s Form I-797 chart describes the I-797B, Notice of Action, as a notice issued for approval of an alien worker petition. It is one of seven I-797 types USCIS lists; the chart under Recent USCIS notice code context below compares them.

What to do

  1. Read which I-797 type the notice is: the form number is printed on it, and USCIS’s chart says the I-797B is issued for approval of an alien worker petition.
  2. Find the receipt number: USCIS’s case status page says the receipt number is a unique 13-character identifier, three letters followed by 10 numbers (for example EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC or IOE), and that it appears on the notices of action USCIS sends. It is the number used in Case Status Online.

Common scams to avoid

USCIS’s Common Scams page (checked 2026-10-15) says:

  • USCIS will only contact you through official government channels and will not contact you through your personal social media accounts.
  • USCIS will never ask you to transfer money to an individual or to pay fees to a person on the phone or by email, and it does not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo or gift cards for immigration fees. Fees paid online go only through your USCIS online account and Pay.gov.
  • U.S. government email addresses always end in .gov.
  • Suspected immigration fraud can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission or your state consumer protection office.

USCIS can also call you: its Contact Center page says Tier 1 representatives ask whether you want a text-ahead notification if a USCIS Immigration Services Officer needs to contact you by phone.

Resources

  • USCIS Case Status Online: egov.uscis.gov (uses the 13-character receipt number)
  • USCIS Contact Center: 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833), live Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern, per its Contact Center page
  • USCIS Common Scams: uscis.gov

Recent USCIS notice code context (2025-2026)

USCIS’s Form I-797: Types and Functions chart (last reviewed 01/24/2025, checked 2026-10-15) says Form I-797 is not a form you can fill out and describes each type: I-797 communicates receipt or approval of an application or petition; I-797A is issued as a replacement Form I-94; I-797B is issued for approval of an alien worker petition; I-797C communicates receipt or rejection, file transfers, fingerprint biometric, interview and rescheduled appointments, additional actions and reopened cases; I-797D accompanies benefit cards; I-797E is issued to request evidence; I-797F, the Transportation Letter, is issued overseas to allow applicants to travel.

Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(8)(iv) a Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny states its own deadline, an RFE response period can never exceed twelve weeks, a NOID response time can never exceed thirty days, and additional time may not be granted. When a notice is served by mail, 8 CFR 103.8(b) adds 3 days. USCIS’s Policy Alert PA-2026-05 of August 5, 2026 says officers are not required to give a standard 12-week RFE period (12 weeks is the maximum) and that USCIS no longer adds 14 days for notices mailed outside the United States. If an RFE or NOID is not answered by the required date, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(13)(i) says the request may be summarily denied as abandoned, denied based on the record, or denied for both reasons.

For Application Support Center (ASC) biometrics appointments, USCIS’s biometrics page (last reviewed 04/30/2026, checked 2026-10-15) says a reschedule request must be made through your USCIS online account, not by mail, before the original appointment and at least 12 hours ahead, and must establish good cause. It points to the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) if the request is less than 12 hours from the appointment time, if the appointment was already missed, or if there are problems making the request in the online account; the Contact Center page says live calls and chats are answered Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern. If the request is not made before the appointment or good cause is not established, USCIS says it may consider the application, petition, or request abandoned and it may be denied. Appearing at a different ASC than the one on the notice without rescheduling means the appointment will not be processed. The USCIS pages checked on 2026-10-15 do not set a number of allowed reschedules.

Last verified: 2026-10-15.

This is general information, not legal advice. Consult an attorney for your specific situation. Find an attorney.