Lost Your I-797 Approval Notice? Getting a Copy Through Your Employer, USCIS or Form I-824

Your approval notice is gone but your approval is not. Here is the fastest way to a usable copy, and when a $590 Form I-824 is the right route.

If you lost your I-797 approval notice, the approval itself is not lost: USCIS still has it on record, and losing the paper does not by itself change your status. You can often get a usable copy without filing anything. Form I-824 is the formal route to a USCIS-issued duplicate, and it cannot replace an EAD, a green card or an I-94.

Status as of 2026-11-01. In effect: the $590 I-824 fee in the USCIS fee schedule, G-1055 edition 10/26/26, and card (G-1450) or ACH (G-1650) payment only since 2025-10-28. In effect since 2026-10-07: a new I-824 filing address, the USCIS Phoenix Lockbox. Grace period ending: USCIS accepts an I-824 sent to a prior filing location only if it is postmarked on or before 2026-11-09 (filing location updates).

Lost I-797 approval notice: the short answer

A lost I-797 approval notice can usually be replaced without filing anything. Ask the employer or attorney who received the original for a scan, check your USCIS online account, or submit a free "did not receive notice by mail" case inquiry. Form I-824 ($590, paper only, as of 2026-11-01) is the route when you need a USCIS-issued duplicate of a still-valid approval.

For what each notice type means, see every I-797 type and what it proves.

Who already has a copy of your I-797?

Usually someone other than you. USCIS mails the approval notice to whoever filed: for an employer petition on Form I-129 (H-1B, L-1 or O-1, extensions included), that is your employer as petitioner, or its law firm.

• Employer-filed petitions. Ask HR and the employer's immigration attorney for a scan of the front and back, including the I-94 at the bottom of an I-797A. If you have changed jobs, ask the former employer or its firm.
• Cases you filed yourself. For Form I-539 (an H-4 extension, for example) or Form I-765 (OPT or STEM OPT), the notice was addressed to you, and to your attorney if you had one. Search your email and files.

Get the scan even if you later need Form I-824: its instructions ask for "a copy of Form I-797 for the previously approved application or petition".

Can you download your I-797 from your USCIS online account?

Sometimes. A case you filed online lives in your account with its notices. For paper cases, USCIS's page on creating an online account draws a line: an "IOE" receipt added with the Online Access Code from your Account Access Notice lets you "view notices", while other paper-filed cases show "case status and history".

• Filed online (common for OPT and STEM OPT I-765s and for I-539s). Look in the case's documents or notices area for the approval PDF.
• Paper filing with an IOE receipt. Link it with the Online Access Code; see our walkthrough on linking a paper-filed case to your USCIS online account.
• Other paper receipts (such as EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC). Expect status and history only; our explainer on what your receipt number and case status mean decodes the prefixes.
• Your employer's I-129. Its notice goes to the employer or its attorney, not to your account.

What if the approval notice never arrived?

USCIS's page on tracking delivery of notices and documents says notices "cannot be tracked via UPS or USPS" and points you to a case inquiry in the "did not receive notice by mail" category:

"For example, if you did not receive your approval notice and believe it may have been lost in the mail, you may submit a case inquiry as explained above if you know your receipt number."

Without a receipt number, call the USCIS Contact Center, which handles "non-receipt of a notice" at its first tier: 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833), live Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern (page updated 2026-10-13). For an employer's petition, the employer or its attorney asks. If the notice went to an old address, USCIS says most noncitizens must report a move within 10 days, online or on Form AR-11 (USCIS address change).

What is Form I-824 used for?

Form I-824, Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, asks USCIS to act further on something it already approved. The I-824 instructions (edition 04/01/24) list five USCIS actions. The two most readers need are a duplicate approval notice (Part 2, Item 1.a) and having USCIS notify a different US consulate, through the National Visa Center or Kentucky Consular Center, about an approved nonimmigrant petition (Item 1.b).

Four limits decide most cases:

• The approval must still be valid. "USCIS or CBP will not approve Form I-824 if your previous approval is expired or was revoked." The Form I-824 page adds that USCIS will not process it while the petition is pending or after a denial.
• The right person signs. The applicant or petitioner of the approved case completes and signs it: for an H-1B, your employer, usually through its attorney; for your own I-539 or I-765, you.
• Not for a job you have left. USCIS will not send the State Department information on an employment-based petition "if your employment for the original petitioner has ended", or on an expired nonimmigrant petition.
• One action per form. "A separate Form I-824 must be filed for each action being requested."

Form I-824 at a glance (as of 2026-11-01)

What Form I-824 does not replace

The duplicate "contains only the information regarding the approval as listed on the original Form I-797", and the instructions add:

"A replacement Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card, Permanent Resident Card, travel document or any other USCIS authorization document will not accompany the duplicate approval notice."

Common misconception, then correction. "File an I-824 and USCIS will mail a fresh I-797A with a new I-94 and a new EAD." No. Each of those documents has its own replacement form, listed below.

Which form replaces what (as of 2026-11-01)

If it is your work card that is missing, see our guide to replacing a lost EAD on OPT, STEM OPT or H-4.

Is the I-94 on your I-797A replaced too?

Not by Form I-824. When USCIS approves a change or extension of status, the I-94 at the bottom of the I-797A is your arrival-departure record, and the I-824 instructions send its replacement to Form I-102, as does USCIS's page on replacing immigration documents. Our guide to replacing a USCIS-issued I-94 with Form I-102 walks through the form.

It matters beyond travel. USCIS's alien registration page (updated 2026-09-04) says noncitizens 18 and older who are required to register "must carry and have in their personal possession evidence of their registration at all times", and the evidence it names generally includes Form I-94, not the approval notice. Whether you need a replacement depends on your travel since the approval:

• You have left and re-entered since. CBP created a new electronic I-94 at your last entry, which superseded the tear-off. Download your most recent I-94; you lost an outdated record.
• You have not travelled since. The tear-off was your current I-94. Ask the attorney on the case whether a scan is enough for now or a Form I-102 is warranted; our explainer on reading an I-797A versus an I-797B shows where that I-94 sits.

Can you travel or get a visa stamp without the original I-797?

The approval notice is not a visa or a travel document, and your consulate's own instructions set what to bring to a visa interview. Get at least a copy from your employer or attorney before you book, and ask them whether a copy is acceptable for your post and what to carry when you re-enter the US.

H-1B and H-4 applicants, renewals included, interview in person under the State Department's interview waiver update (effective 2025-10-01). Check the live travel.state.gov wait-times page, and see our guide to your first H-1B stamp after STEM OPT for the document list.

Domestic trips count too: according to Boston University's international office (2026-08-17), students and scholars should carry their immigration documents on domestic trips, I-797 included. Ask your attorney what covers you until a replacement arrives.

Step by step: replacing a lost I-797, fastest route first

1. Email HR and your employer's immigration attorney for a front-and-back scan; for your own filings, search your email and files.
2. Sign in to your USCIS online account and download the notice if the case was filed online or has an IOE receipt.
3. Check Case Status Online to confirm the case still shows as approved, not revoked.
4. Submit a "did not receive notice by mail" case inquiry, or call the Contact Center, if the notice never arrived.
5. Update your address with USCIS (online or on Form AR-11) if the notice went to an old address.
6. Decide with your employer or attorney whether an official duplicate is needed; if so, the applicant or petitioner mails Form I-824 with the $590 fee (Form G-1450 or G-1650) and a copy of the I-797.
7. Request your records through USCIS FOIA instead if the approval has expired or was revoked.

A worked example (hypothetical): an H-1B worker with a December trip

Priya moved from STEM OPT to H-1B by change of status. Her I-797A runs from 2026-10-01 to 2029-09-30, and she has not left the US since. She moves apartments on 2026-10-17, cannot find the original while unpacking, and hopes to fly home in late December for her first H-1B stamp.

Priya does not file Form I-824 herself: she is the beneficiary, not the petitioner, and a duplicate would not bring a new I-94.

On OPT or STEM OPT instead? Employers use the EAD card, not the I-765 approval notice, for Form I-9, so a lost notice is mostly a records problem. A lost card is an I-765 replacement; talk to your DSO first.

Why keep a complete set of approval notices?

Later filings often include copies of earlier approvals, and two live policy items make a complete file matter more:

• Deference (proposed for removal). Today 8 CFR 214.1(c)(5) generally has USCIS defer to a prior approval on the same facts when it decides an extension. The proposal to remove it (91 FR 65119, published 2026-10-14) is only proposed, and current deference applies; DHS estimates about 6,044 extra RFEs a year if it is finalized. Comments close 2026-11-13.
• Denials without an RFE (in effect, challenged). Since 2026-08-05, PA-2026-05 lets officers deny any benefit request without an RFE or NOID when required initial evidence is missing. AAUP v. Mullin (D. Mass., filed 2026-10-05) challenges it; no ruling as of 2026-11-01.

Common mistakes

• Filing Form I-824 for an EAD, green card or I-94. Each has its own form (I-765, I-90, I-102).
• Filing it yourself for your employer's petition. For an H-1B, the employer signs.
• Filing it for an expired or revoked approval, or to fix a typo. Neither is what the form is for.
• Leaving out the receipt number or the I-797 copy. USCIS rejects an I-824 with no receipt number in Part 3 and may reject or deny one without its evidence.
• Mailing to the old lockbox late, or paying by check. Old addresses take only mail postmarked by 2026-11-09; checks need a G-1651 exemption.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a copy of my lost I-797?

Ask whoever received the original. For an H-1B or other employer petition, that is your employer or its immigration attorney, who can usually send a scan. For your own filings, check your USCIS online account or submit a "did not receive notice" case inquiry. Form I-824 gets you a USCIS duplicate for $590, paper only, as of November 1, 2026.

Can I download my I-797 from my USCIS account?

Sometimes. Cases filed online show their notices in your account, and so do paper cases with an IOE receipt added with the Online Access Code. Other paper cases show only status and history. The notice for an employer's I-129 goes to the employer or its attorney, so ask them for it.

What is Form I-824 used for?

It asks USCIS to act on a still-valid approval, most often by issuing a duplicate approval notice or notifying a different consulate. As of November 1, 2026 it costs $590 (G-1055 edition 10/26/26) and is filed on paper only. It cannot be used for an expired or revoked approval and does not replace an EAD, green card or I-94.

Can I travel or get my visa stamped without the original I-797?

The approval notice is not a visa or a travel document, and your consulate's own instructions set what to bring to the interview. Get at least a copy from your employer or attorney before you book, and ask them whether a copy is enough for your post and what to carry when you re-enter. Check the travel.state.gov wait-times page for appointments.

Is the I-94 on my I-797A replaced too?

Not through Form I-824. Its instructions send a lost USCIS-issued I-94 to Form I-102, which costs $560 plus a separate $24 I-94 fee as of November 1, 2026. If you have re-entered the US since the approval, your current I-94 is the newer CBP record, which you can download from the CBP I-94 website.

Sources

• USCIS, Form I-824, its instructions (edition 04/01/24) and filing addresses
• USCIS, Fee schedule G-1055, edition 10/26/26 and filing location updates
• USCIS, How to track delivery of your notice, Contact Center and change of address
• USCIS, How to create a USCIS online account, forms available to file online and processing times
• USCIS, Immigration documents and how to correct, update or replace them, Form I-102, alien registration requirement and FOIA and Privacy Act requests
• USCIS, PA-2026-05; Federal Register, deference NPRM
• CBP, I-94 website
• State Department, interview waiver update and global visa wait times

How we checked this: we read the USCIS pages, the Form I-824 instructions (edition 04/01/24), the G-1055 fee schedule (edition 10/26/26) and the Federal Register entry listed above on 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02, and took every fee from that fee schedule.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own approval notice, I-94 and receipt govern over anything published here; bring decisions to the immigration attorney on your case, or to your DSO for anything tied to F-1, OPT or SEVIS.

A lost notice is stressful but fixable. If you are on OPT or STEM OPT and looking for an employer that sponsors H-1B, F1Jobs helps international candidates run a focused, visa-aware search.