I-485 status message

“Case Was Received” on Your I-485: What It Means

On an I-485, USCIS shows Case Was Received[1][2]

On an I-485 this is the receipt stage: USCIS accepts the application and sends a receipt notice, and the receipt number is how you check the case online.[3][4]

Sources for this meaning

What it means

In the I-485 stages (Received): USCIS accepts the application and sends a receipt notice. Keep the receipt number: it is how you check the case online.[3][4]

USCIS accepted and receipted the case and assigned a receipt number that you can track online.[1]

The message sets the receipt date. It is not a review of the merits of the case.[2]

What usually happens next

If USCIS needs your biometrics for the I-485 it schedules an appointment, and USCIS policy is that adjustment applicants are interviewed unless USCIS waives the interview.[5][6]

For how long cases usually take, see USCIS processing times. We do not state a timeline on this page.

What to do

Keep the receipt number from your notice. It is how you check the case online.[4]

Related event codes

USCIS has not published a table that links status messages to event codes, so no event code is linked to this message.[4]

Forms it commonly appears for

This page covers the I-485. Read the general page for this message or follow the whole case on the I-485 Tracker.

Questions about this message

What does “Case Was Received” mean on my I-485?

USCIS accepted the application and sent a receipt notice. The receipt number on that notice is how you check the case online.

Source[3][4]

Does an I-485 always get a biometrics appointment after it is received?

Only if USCIS needs your biometrics. When it does, it schedules a biometric services appointment.

Source[5]

Sources

USCIS publishes no list of its status messages, so the titles come from the sources below. Checked . USCIS can change the wording without notice.

  1. [1]USCIS Case Status Overview (memo, October 2025)Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  2. [2]What Your USCIS Case Status Actually Means, Message by MessageHeadman Law Group
  3. [3]NIEM 5.0 BenefitDocumentStatusCategoryCodeSimpleTypeNIEM
  4. [4]Checking Your Case Status OnlineUSCIS
  5. [5]Preparing for Your Biometric Services AppointmentUSCIS
  6. [6]Policy Manual: Adjustment of Status, Interview GuidelinesUSCIS

Not legal advice. CaseTicker is not affiliated with USCIS. A code is a short system label, not a decision: your notices from USCIS are what count. For a Request for Evidence, a deadline or a denial, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative. Read the disclaimer. CaseTicker is not affiliated with USCIS. Not legal advice.

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