New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms

I-824 Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition

Asks USCIS to take a follow-on step on something it already approved - send an approved petition to a consulate, issue a duplicate approval notice, or notify a post about a derivative. It is a housekeeping form, and it is often faster to refile the underlying petition than to wait for it.

Fee
$590. $0 for Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants, VAWA self-petitioners, Special Immigrant Juveniles, T and U nonimmigrants, Cuban Adjustment Act and HRIFA abused spouses and children, NACARA applicants, and battered spouses and children applying under INA 240A(b)(2).
Fee waiver
Not available
Who files
The person or company whose application or petition USCIS approved.
Where to file
By mail to the USCIS lockbox named in the instructions.
Processing time
7.1 months (FY 2026 national median through June 30, 2026)

Usually filed with

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • Refiling the underlying petition is often faster than waiting the 7.1 month median on an I-824.

Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-824. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.