I-140 Approval Notice

Official PDF downloads

• Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, USCIS (PDF)
• Form I-140, Instructions for Petition for Alien Workers, USCIS (PDF)

What this is

USCIS approval notice for the I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers. Bring the original or a copy of the I-797 approval notice to the consular interview.

Usually stable: The document itself is durable, but filing format still needs a stage check.

Who usually needs it

Applicants or petitioners in USCIS-centered workflows whose case depends on a specific filing artifact or approval record.

When it usually appears

Usually at filing, after approval, or when showing what stage the USCIS case has reached.

What changes by process, path, or post

Some USCIS forms are the filing itself, while others are notices or overlays that only matter in narrower case structures.

Common format or evidence traps

• Treating a USCIS form as interchangeable with a consular form that serves a different process.
• Assuming an approval notice answers later visa-availability or admissibility questions by itself.

Related pages

• Petition stage guideUnderstand what petitions decide and what they do not.
• Adjustment of status guideSee the USCIS route inside the United States.
• Conditional residence guideSee I-751 and I-829 lifecycle stages.

Related glossary terms

Petition · Approval notice · Application

Examples from current exact-support flows

Coverage posture: Current public exact-support flows include multiple direct examples for this document, but exact requirements still depend on the route, process stage, and official instructions.

• Usually needed

  Bring the original or a copy of the I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers approval notice (Form I-797). This notice is the foundation of the employment-based immigrant visa case. (Sources: USCIS I-140 page, DOS NVC overview, DOS Step 10)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: employment-based · scope.processing_context: consular-processing

• Usually needed

  Employment-based AOS must be tied to an approved, pending, or concurrently filed I-140 as allowed for the category and visa availability posture.

  Shown when: green_card_path: employment-based · processing_context: adjustment-of-status

• Usually needed

  Include the I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers approval notice (Form I-797). The approved I-140 establishes the employment-based immigrant visa classification. If the I-140 was filed concurrently with the I-485, include a copy of the I-140 receipt notice. (Sources: USCIS I-140 page, USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 7 Part F Ch. 2, USCIS employment-based adjustment of status overview)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: employment-based · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status