Receipt Numbers

[albkos 1]

Hi -

When the NOA1 is mailed, the receipt number is included. Does this receipt number remain the same throughout the process until you are finally approved.

Or does the receipt number change for instance if a RFE is received or a final approval is granted.

Basically is the receipt number really just a receipt number or is that a case number?

Also what could it mean if the last updated date keeps changing in the USCIS webiste? Is this a good thing a bad thing or just nothing? Should I not even bother looking at the case online? Am I just making myself more crazy................

thanks, I give everyone alot of credit on here with being patient in this process. Now that I filed I can see how frustrating it is.

[Jasman0717 9]

Once the petition is approved it will be sent to the NVC and a case number associated with the embassy it will be transferred to will be assigned. As an example, for Manila the case number would look like: MNL2007050001

[kimandfred 0]

Your USCIS receipt number stays the same throughout its time with USCIS. After you've received your approval, or NOA2, your case gets forwarded to the National Visa Center and there they assign you a new case number that is unique to whichever consulate you're using. We're going through Paris, so the first three letters of our NVC case number were PRS, then a new 10-digit number.

When you see your last updated date change, it's called a touch here. You'll see this on people's signatures, including mine that say 'touch' and then a date. It basically means that someone has handled your case, whether to look at it, or to just move it from one place to another. A lot of people get them if they call to inquire about their case. I've gotten some right before I received my NOA1 hardcopy in August (there was a big delay in receiving these for May filers) and I also got one when I got approved. Some people never get touched, some people do a lot. I wouldn't get too excited about touches until around 3-4 months after your NOA1.

This process definitely requires A LOT of patience, good luck!