What to Do After Your I-140 Is Approved: Your Next Steps (2026)

First — Congratulations 🎉

If your I-140 (EB1A or EB2 NIW) was just approved, take a moment to celebrate. You proved you qualify for the category and you have locked in your priority date. That is the hard part, and you did it yourself.

But an approved I-140 is not your green card. It is the green light for the final stage: waiting for a visa number to become available and then completing either Adjustment of Status (I-485) or consular processing (DS-260). This guide is your roadmap for what to do now.

Step 1: Read Your Approval Notice Carefully (Form I-797)

Your approval arrives as Form I-797, Notice of Action — the official Approval Notice. When it comes, don't just file it away. Check every field against your records:

✅ Your name (spelled exactly right, matching your passport)
✅ Your A-Number (Alien Registration Number), if shown
✅ The receipt number (starts with IOE or EAC/SRC/WAC/LIN)
✅ The priority date — this is the date that controls your place in line; make sure it matches the date USCIS received your I-140
✅ The classification — E11 (EB1A) or E21 (EB2 NIW)
✅ Whether it says the case was sent for consular processing or that you will adjust status — this should match what you chose

Keep the original somewhere safe. You will need this notice (and its receipt number) for almost every step that follows.

Didn't get your Approval Notice, or it has a mistake? See Step 5 below — there is a free USCIS online form for both situations.

Step 2: Confirm Your Path — Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing

The whole final stage depends on which route you are on:

Adjustment of Status (I-485) — you are inside the U.S. in valid status and will get your green card without leaving. See the I-485 Adjustment of Status Guide.
Consular Processing (DS-260) — you are (or will be) abroad and will interview at a U.S. consulate.

Make sure the path on your notice is still the one you actually want. If your plans changed — for example you elected Adjustment but now intend to leave the U.S. — you may need to switch, which is a separate request. See Switching from Adjustment of Status to Consular Processing (I-824).

Step 3: If You Chose Consular Processing — Watch for the NVC Email

If your case is going through consular processing, USCIS forwards the approved petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC). When the NVC takes over, it will contact you (usually by email) with your case number and instructions to create an account in the Consular Electronic Application Center to pay fees, submit Form DS-260, and upload your civil documents.

Make sure the email address on file is current and check your spam folder.
You generally cannot move forward until your priority date is current (Step 4), so an early NVC notice may simply be telling you the case is on file and to wait.

Step 4: Then — Watch the Visa Bulletin Every Month

For most of the wait, your job is simply to track your priority date against the monthly Visa Bulletin. A green card can only be issued once your priority date is current for your category and country of birth.

Check the Visa Bulletin every month — we keep a live, easy-to-read version with a priority-date tool on our Visa Bulletin page.
Watch both charts: Final Action Dates (when a green card can actually be approved) and Dates for Filing (when you may be able to submit sooner). Each month USCIS decides which chart Adjustment-of-Status applicants may use.
When your date becomes current: file your I-485 (if adjusting) or complete your DS-260 steps with the NVC (if consular processing).

If you have children, read CSPA: Protecting Your Children From Aging Out now, not later — the math for whether a child still counts as a "child" depends on dates you want to understand early.

Step 5: If Something Is Wrong or Missing

USCIS has a free self-service tool called e-Request for exactly these problems — no fee, no mailing:

You never received a notice USCIS says it issued → submit a "Did Not Receive Notice I Was Expecting" (non-delivery) request. First confirm USCIS actually issued it by checking your case status in your USCIS online account.
Your notice has a typo USCIS made (misspelled name, wrong date of birth, etc.) → submit a "Typographic Error" request to have it corrected.

Start here: USCIS e-Request self-service tools (the non-delivery and typographic-error options are listed there).

Step 6: For Any Other Question — Ask Emma

USCIS has a virtual assistant named Emma that answers questions in plain English (and Spanish) and can route you to a live representative. Click "Ask Emma" in the upper-right corner of any page on uscis.gov, or start at the USCIS Contact Center. It is the fastest way to get an official answer without waiting on hold.

Your "What to Do Now" Checklist

☐ Celebrate — the hardest part is done
☐ Verify your Approval Notice (I-797) — name, A-Number, receipt number, priority date, classification, and AOS vs. consular election
☐ Confirm your path is still correct (I-485 or consular processing)
☐ If consular: watch for the NVC email to register your account
☐ Track the Visa Bulletin monthly on our Visa Bulletin page until your priority date is current
☐ Have kids? Read CSPA early
☐ Notice missing or wrong? Use USCIS e-Request
☐ Other questions? Ask Emma at uscis.gov

As of June 2026. Always verify current steps and tools on uscis.gov and check the controlling Visa Bulletin chart at uscis.gov/visabulletininfo for the month you intend to file.