“Case Required USCIS To Send A Notice”: Why Applicants Are Seeing This Status

This page explains what applicants are reporting. It is not an official USCIS announcement.

Since late September, many applicants have seen a new line in their USCIS case status: “Case Required USCIS To Send A Notice.” For a lot of them it appeared around the same time as a document titled “FBI Privacy Requirements for Biometrics Collection by USCIS.” That overlap has led to plenty of guessing about whether cases are being approved, transferred, reviewed again or sent for another background check.

What the status means

The wording means USCIS created a notice for your case. It does not tell you what kind of notice it is, and that is the part that matters.

In recent Reddit and Lawfully discussions, many applicants said the notice that followed was the FBI biometrics privacy notice, not a Request for Evidence, an interview notice, a denial or an approval.

Is it a Request for Evidence?

Not necessarily. When USCIS needs more evidence, it sends a Request for Evidence that lists exactly what it wants and gives a deadline. The status line by itself does not say which type of notice was sent, so check the Documents section of your USCIS account.

Does it mean approval is close?

USCIS has not said that this status predicts an approval. Some applicants saw other case activity at the same time and some did not. It is worth watching, but it is not a reliable sign either way.

What to do when you see it

1. Sign in to your USCIS online account.
2. Open the case that changed.
3. Go to the Documents tab.
4. Look for a newly uploaded notice.
5. Read it carefully and follow any instructions or deadline it gives.

If the new document is only the FBI biometrics privacy notice, it is for your information and does not ask you to do anything. If a notice was mailed and has not arrived by the date in your case update, USCIS offers a Did Not Receive Notice by Mail inquiry.

The short answer

This status does not tell you whether a case is approved, denied or has a problem. The important step is finding and reading the notice itself. Because so many applicants are seeing it alongside the new FBI privacy document, we are watching for a broader pattern and will update this page if USCIS explains it.