After the approval comes the calmest part of the whole process: the card gets printed, goes out in the mail and lands in your mailbox, often within days. This guide explains every status in that chain, how to track the envelope and what to do when something goes wrong.
First the approval, then the card
They are two different things. The approval (Case Was Approved, Case Approved or Approval Case Decision Rendered) is the decision; the approval notice they mail you is not the card and does not work, for example, for Form I-9 at a job. The card (work permit, Green Card, combo card) follows its own path, with its own statuses.
The statuses, in order
- New Card Is Being Produced: USCIS ordered the card. On forms that end in a card, this is the equivalent of "approved".
- Card Was Produced: the card has been printed. The description includes the USPS tracking number.
- Card Was Picked Up By The United States Postal Service or Card Was Mailed To Me: the envelope is with USPS, on its way to the address on file.
- Card Was Delivered To Me By The Post Office: USPS marked the envelope as delivered.
Each step usually takes days, though weeks sometimes pass between the approval and card production; from produced to mailed or delivered it is usually a matter of the same week.
How to track the envelope
- Copy the tracking number from the description of "Card Was Produced" or "Card Was Mailed" and look it up on USPS Tracking. USCIS sends cards by Priority Mail with tracking.
- If you sign up for USPS Informed Delivery, you get an image of the envelopes arriving that day.
- The envelope goes to the address USCIS has on file, not to a mail-forwarding address. USPS does not forward USCIS mail even if you filed a change of address with the postal service.
If it says "delivered" and you do not have the card
- Check the mailbox, the building's office, neighbors and the USPS app: sometimes "delivered" is marked hours before the actual delivery, or the carrier left it at another unit.
- Wait a few days. If it does not turn up, ask USPS to search for the shipment with the tracking number.
- The "Card Was Mailed" description includes a date: if you do not have the card by then, file an e-Request for non-delivery of card. USCIS can resend it at no cost if the address on file was correct and the claim arrives within the window (normally 30 days from mailing for Priority Mail).
- If the card was lost after it arrived, or the claim comes late, you will need a replacement: Form I-90 for a Green Card, a new Form I-765 for a work permit. If the error was USCIS's (misspelled name, wrong photo), the replacement is free.
When the card goes back to USCIS
- Card Was Returned To USCIS and Card Is Being Returned to USCIS by Post Office: USPS could not deliver the envelope (incomplete address, a name not on the mailbox, no access). Update the address and ask for it to be resent through an e-Request. After a return, the usual next step is a new delivery within the following weeks.
- Notice Was Returned To USCIS Because The Post Office Could Not Deliver It: the same, but for a notice (approval notice, appointment, request for evidence). Since those letters usually carry deadlines, request a copy as soon as possible.
- Card Was Destroyed: USCIS destroyed a returned card that was not claimed in time, or one produced with an error. You will need to request a replacement; the letter explains how.
- Card Was Received By USCIS Along With My Letter: USCIS received a card you sent back with a letter, for example to correct a detail.
Common questions
Does "Card Was Produced" mean I am approved?
Yes. A card is only produced once the application is approved. If you do not see the approval status yet, it will appear or is already logged in the history.
How long from "produced" to my mailbox?
Usually days between each status, though delays happen. USCIS asks you to wait until the date in the description before making a claim.
The card arrived but the status does not say "delivered"
That is normal: the online status depends on USPS scans and does not always update. What matters is that you have the card and the details on it are correct.
The card has an error
If the error is USCIS's, file the replacement form (I-90 or I-765) at no cost, with the original card and proof of the correct detail. If the error comes from what you wrote on the application, the replacement carries a fee.
Check your case for free on MigraConnect to see the tracking number in the description, and with MigraConnect+ get an alert at every step of the chain. Need additional help? Contact USCIS at 1-800-375-5283.