Form G-1145

You just mailed an immigration filing, and now you are waiting. The default way to learn your package arrived safely is the paper receipt notice USCIS mails out, which can take roughly 10 days or longer to reach you. 

Form G-1145 closes that gap: attach it to your filing and the agency will text or email you within about 24 hours of accepting your case. It is free, optional, and takes two minutes. 

This guide covers what the form does, who should use it, how to fill it out, where to send it, and what to do if the notification never arrives.

What is form G-1145?

Form G-1145 is a one-page request that asks U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to send you a text message and/or email the moment it accepts your application or petition for processing. Its official name is the e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, which is exactly what it delivers: an early, electronic heads-up that your paperwork cleared intake.

The form does nothing to your underlying case. You provide your name and contact details, the agency logs them, and when your primary filing is accepted, an automated message goes out.

What G-1145 does, and what it doesn’t do

Your one job when filing G-1145 is to understand its limits. It tells you one thing, one time: your application package was accepted. It does not track your case, change your timeline, or grant you anything.

How the G-1145 e-notification differs from Form I-797C

Your clearest path to understanding G-1145 vs I-797C is to treat them as two documents with two jobs. The G-1145 e-notification is an informational ping; Form I-797C, Notice of Action, is your official receipt notice, the paper proof that your case is pending.

You cannot use the text or email as proof of a pending application; for that you need the I-797C, not a screenshot. It arrives separately by mail, generally within about 10 days of acceptance, though it can run longer in busy periods.

Whether G-1145 affects case processing or status

Filing G-1145 will not speed up or slow down your case. The Department of Homeland Security adjudicates on its own timeline regardless of whether you requested an alert, and that alert stops after the first message, so you get no ongoing updates from the form.

Who should use G-1145

If you are mailing a paper application to a USCIS lockbox, you are a strong candidate for this form. It costs nothing and shortens the quietest stretch of the process: the days between mailing your package and learning it arrived.

Applicants who benefit most

You will get the most value in a few common situations:

• First-time filers: Early confirmation offers peace of mind during an unfamiliar process.
• Large or time-sensitive packets: A green card application or a work permit tied to a job start date is worth tracking from the earliest moment.
• People who move or travel often: An email or text reaches you anywhere, while a mailed notice depends on the address on file.

When you should not attach a G-1145

Skip the form whenever your filing does not go to a lockbox. If you file online through a myUSCIS account, you already receive those notifications there. The same goes for anything filed with a service center or field offices, where this alert is not offered, so attaching it there adds a stray page that does nothing for you.

Which USCIS applications accept G-1145

Your G-1145 eligible forms list covers most high-volume applications and petitions that route through a lockbox. Because the qualifying forms change periodically, confirm against the official USCIS G-1145 page and your form’s filing instructions before you mail. Some of the most common qualifying forms:

A quick gut check tells you whether the form belongs in your packet. Use it when your immigration application is paper-filed and headed to a lockbox, which covers most family green card filings, employment authorization requests, and adjustment of status packages. Skip it when you file online, when your form goes to a service center or field office, or when you have not yet confirmed where your form is filed.

How to fill out G-1145

Learning how to fill out G-1145 takes only a few minutes. Following the G-1145 instructions in order keeps you from the two mistakes that matter: a typo in your contact details, and a name that does not match your primary application.

1. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your main form. The form asks for the applicant/petitioner full last name, first name, and applicant/petitioner full middle name. Match the spelling precisely, so if you are filing Form N-400, use the same legal name there.
2. Add at least one contact method. Provide an email address, a U.S. mobile phone number, or both. Supply both and you receive both an email and a text; provide one and you receive only that type.
3. Format your contact details carefully. Text alerts go only to a U.S. number, not international carriers, and the agency does not verify what you enter or warn you if a message bounces, so check every character.
4. Place it on top of your application package. Clip, do not staple, the completed form to the front of the first page of your filing.

If you want to see the layout first, download the G-1145 form PDF directly from USCIS and complete it on screen or by hand.

How to submit G-1145

Filing G-1145 is simple, but it has to be done correctly for your alerts to work. Follow these steps:

1. File it with your main application, never alone. G-1145 cannot be submitted on its own or online. It only travels with the primary immigration form it accompanies, in a single paper package sent by mail.
2. Clip the completed G-1145 to the front of your package. Place it at the very front so USCIS sees it first.
3. Confirm the correct lockbox address. The mailing destination depends on your primary form type, and the requirement is strict. Verify the address in your main immigration form's instructions rather than assuming. These alerts are currently processed at four lockbox facilities: Lewisville, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Elgin, Illinois; and Phoenix, Arizona.
4. Mail the complete bundle to that lockbox. Send the whole package together to the address you confirmed.
5. Wait for acceptance, not just delivery. Receiving and accepting are two different events. After your envelope arrives, USCIS reviews the filing and processes your fee before formally accepting the case, which can take several days. Your G-1145 alert fires only once acceptance happens, not the day your mail lands.

Get these steps right and you'll receive your confirmation text and email within days of USCIS accepting your case, giving you peace of mind that your filing arrived safely.

How USCIS sends e-notifications

Once your case is accepted, the agency generates an automated electronic notification and sends it to the contact details you listed. Domestic filers can receive a text message, an email, or both; overseas filers receive email only.

What the email and text message contain

Your G-1145 text message notification, and its email twin, are deliberately bare. The message displays your receipt number and tells you how to check your case status online, but contains no personal information, not even your name, since text and email are not secure channels for sensitive data.

That number is the valuable part: a 13-character identifier beginning with three letters, and the same one that later appears on your I-797C. You will use it for every status check from here on.

Timeframe for the initial notification

When you ask about G-1145 processing time, you mean how fast the alert arrives. The agency aims to send it within 24 hours of accepting your application, but during peak windows like the start of a calendar year or the federal fiscal year, delays of a few days are common. This is unrelated to your case’s overall processing times, which depend entirely on the form you filed.

Cost of filing G-1145

Filing G-1145 is free. There is no separate fee for the alert, and it does not change what you owe on your primary application; you still pay only that form’s standard filing fee, which you can confirm on the USCIS filing fee schedule.

How G-1145 fits with other USCIS forms

G-1145 almost never travels alone. It is a supporting form clipped to the front of a more substantial application, so it helps to understand where it sits in your wider filing.

Relationship to Form I-797C and other notices

Think of G-1145 and the I-797C as the early and official versions of the same news. Your alert reaches you first and informally; the I-797C follows by mail as your legal proof. The agency also uses the I-797C, Notice of Action, for later events such as transfers, appointments, and requests for evidence, so the first message is only the start.

Common companion forms in the same packet

When you bundle several immigration forms in one lockbox package, G-1145 sits on top of all of them. A family-based adjustment of status case often combines Form I-130 with Form I-485 and the Affidavit of Support, which requires recent tax forms; you will want a current tax form for each year requested. An employment-based case might pair Form I-765 with the underlying petition. A service like Lighthouse that prepares the full packet handles supporting forms such as G-1145 as part of coordinating the filing, so nothing minor slips through.

How to check your USCIS case status beyond the e-notification

Your alert confirms one thing and then stops, so you need a way to follow your case afterward. The agency offers free tools that pick up where G-1145 leaves off, all keyed to the number from your message.

The Case Status Online portal is your day-to-day tracker. Enter that number into the USCIS Case Status Online tool to see your current step, the last action date, and what comes next; checking weekly is usually enough.

For ongoing updates, create a free myUSCIS account and turn on case status alerts. Linking your case to the account gives you the continuous email and text updates that G-1145 alone does not provide.

What to do if you don’t receive your e-notification

When your alert never arrives, it rarely means something is wrong. Work through the likely causes before assuming a problem. Most failed notifications trace back to a handful of issues:

• A typo in your contact details: A single wrong digit or letter sends the message nowhere, and the agency cannot resend an undeliverable alert.
• Spam or security filters: Work accounts and aggressive filters sometimes quarantine the message, so check your junk folder.
• A non-U.S. phone number: Text alerts only reach U.S. carriers.
• Your case has not been accepted yet: During busy periods, acceptance itself can take longer, which pushes the alert back.

Pull out your copy of the form and read your email and mobile phone number back character by character. You cannot fix an error on the original filing, but your mailed I-797C and the number on it will still arrive. If a reasonable window passes with no alert and no mailed receipt, contact the USCIS Contact Center to confirm your filing is in the system.

Form G-1145 for lawyers and representatives

If you are an immigration lawyer or accredited representative filing on a client’s behalf, G-1145 works a little differently. The message always goes to the applicant directly, never to your office, so set client expectations accordingly.

You do not add your own attorney information to the form; it carries the client’s name and contact details only, and the alert goes to that client. Immigration lawyers often confirm a client’s consent to electronic notifications up front, since the message lands on the client’s phone, not the firm’s.

Accuracy compounds at volume. When you submit several unrelated clients’ forms in one envelope, clip a separate G-1145 to the front of each client’s package, since the agency sends one message per accepted form. Verifying every email and phone number before filing prevents silent failures and avoidable client calls weeks later.

The bottom line on G-1145

Form G-1145 is one of the lowest-effort, highest-comfort steps in the entire filing process: free, quick, and reassuring when the alert lands within a day of acceptance. Treat it as the early signal it is, lean on your I-797C and its number as the official record, and set up a myUSCIS account for everything that comes after. If you would rather have your whole packet prepared and coordinated for you, Lighthouse builds and files it with attorney review included in every case.

File once, file right, with Lighthouse

Form G-1145 takes the worry out of one moment, the day USCIS accepts your case. The bigger worry is everything that comes before it: the right forms, the right lockbox, the right evidence, all assembled without a costly mistake.

That is where Lighthouse comes in. We prepare and file your complete packet, with attorney review on every case and supporting forms like G-1145 handled as part of the process, so nothing minor slips through. You also get a free eligibility evaluation before you start, and if USCIS issues a request for evidence, we respond at no additional charge.

Skip the second-guessing and the late-night instruction reading. 

Get started with Lighthouse and file with confidence from day one.

Frequently asked questions on form G-1145

What is the purpose of form G-1145? 

Its purpose is to request an electronic notification when USCIS accepts your application or petition, so you get a text or email confirming acceptance, typically within 24 hours, instead of waiting for the mailed paper notice.

What is the G-1145 acceptance alert? 

It is the automated text and/or email the agency sends once it accepts your filing. It shows your receipt number and how to check your case status, contains no personal information, and grants no immigration status or benefit.

Who is eligible to use USCIS form G-1145? 

Anyone filing a qualifying paper application or petition at a USCIS lockbox facility can include one. Eligibility is tied to the immigration form and filing location, not the applicant, so confirm your form qualifies first.

Who needs the USCIS form G-1145? 

No one strictly needs it, since a paper notice arrives either way. It is most useful for first-time filers and anyone submitting a green card or work permit application who wants the earliest confirmation of acceptance.

How do I file form G-1145? 

Complete the one-page form with your name and contact details, clip it to the front of your packet, and mail the bundle to the appropriate lockbox. You cannot file it online or on its own.

Is there a fee for form G-1145? 

No. There is no fee to file it, and it does not change the filing fee for your primary application.

How long does it take to process form G-1145? 

It is not processed like an application. The agency generates the alert within about 24 hours of accepting your primary filing, though delays of a few days are common during peak periods.