You can get a copy, but the official duplicate normally must be requested through your employer; your independent fallback is an online request for your own USCIS records.
“My H1B was approved recently, but my employer still has not mailed me my I-797 approval notice. What options do I have to get a copy of it, since I need it to update my documents?”
Summary
The employer holding the paper does not erase the approval; USCIS’s rule sends the H-1B approval notice to the petitioner. Start by obtaining a complete scan, while preserving the USCIS duplicate and records-request routes if the employer cannot or will not provide it.
Your best route depends on whether the employer has the notice, never received it, lost it, or will not cooperate.
Ask the employer/ and its immigration counsel for a complete PDF immediately and the original if needed. USCIS sends an H-petition approval Notice of Action to the petitioner, so the employer or its lawyer is normally the first place to obtain it (8 CFR 214.2(h)(9)(i)(A)).
If the petitioner also never received the notice and it is not in its USCIS online account, have the employer or authorized representative submit the official non-delivery inquiry after confirming that Case Status Online shows a notice was issued (USCIS Non-Delivery of Notice e-Request).
For a lost notice or when a USCIS-issued duplicate is required, the employer completes and signs Form I-824, selects Part 2, Item 1.a, pays $590, and mails it to the USCIS Phoenix Lockbox. The duplicate contains the I-797 approval information but not the approved I-129 petition (Form I-824 Instructions; 8 CFR 106.2(a)(52)).
Being the H-1B does not by itself let you sign this request: the I-129 is filed by the U.S. employer, while the I-824 instructions require the applicant or petitioner of the approved matter to complete and sign the duplicate-notice request (Form I-129 Instructions; Form I-824 Instructions).
If the employer will not help, make a narrow online for “the Form I-797 approval notice and approved Form I-129 petition for receipt number [number].” USCIS permits requests for your own immigration records and says precise requests are faster than asking for the entire file (USCIS FOIA/PA Records Page).
A scan, a FOIA record copy, and a USCIS-issued Form I-824 duplicate are different products; the updating agency may not accept all three interchangeably.
Read the full explanationHide the full explanation
Watch out for
Next steps
These steps move from the quickest no-filing option to the formal duplicate and independent-record routes.
Do this first
Request a complete copy in writing
Email the employer’s HR contact and petitioning immigration counsel requesting a complete PDF of every page of the approval notice, including the lower I-94 section if it says I-797A. Also request the original by trackable mail if the updating agency requires it; USCIS sends the approval notice to the petitioner under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(9)(i)(A).
Requirements
If the petitioner never received it
Have the employer submit a non-delivery inquiry
The employer or authorized representative should first use https://egov.uscis.gov/ to confirm that USCIS issued the notice and check the petitioner’s online account. If no paper or online notice is available, submit https://egov.uscis.gov/e-request/ndn; USCIS says at least 60 days must have passed since the petition was filed.
Requirements
If an official duplicate is needed
Have the employer file Form I-824
Select Part 2, Item 1.a. For USPS, mail to USCIS, Attn: NFB, P.O. Box 21281, Phoenix, AZ 85036-1281. For FedEx, UPS, or DHL, mail to USCIS, Attn: NFB (Box 21281), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806. The duplicate provides the I-797 approval information, not a copy of the approved I-129 petition.
Requirements
If the employer will not cooperate
Request your own USCIS record online
Go to https://first.uscis.gov/ and request exactly: “My Form I-797 approval notice and the approved Form I-129 petition for receipt number [number].” Do not request the entire file unless necessary. Send no upfront payment; USCIS contacts you if chargeable costs apply, and information concerning other people may be redacted.
Requirements
If the updating agency participates
Use SAVE verification while waiting
Give the agency the listed information and ask it to run or continue its verification. USCIS expressly lists the I-797 receipt number as an accepted SAVE identifier, although this does not replace the agency’s own document requirements.
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer is based on the current eCFR, USCIS forms and records guidance, USCIS SAVE materials, and Department of Labor H-1B guidance.
8 CFR 214.2(h)(9)(i)(A)
USCIS sends the H-petition approval notice to the employer/petitioner, not separately to the worker.
(h)(9)(i)(A)
USCIS will notify the petitioner of the approval of the petition on a Notice of Action. The approval notice will include the beneficiary's (or beneficiaries') name(s) and classification and the petition's period of validity.
Form I-129 Instructions
The H-1B I-129 is filed by the U.S. employer, establishing who the petitioner is.
General Information
A U.S. employer may file this form and applicable supplements to classify an alien in any nonimmigrant classification listed in Part 1. or Part 2. of these Instructions.
USCIS Non-Delivery of Notice e-Request
This establishes when a petitioner can use the non-delivery inquiry and the waiting rule.
Before submitting any inquiry about a notice that you believe may have been issued on your case, but that you have not yet received, first check your case status using the Case Status Online tool to determine if USCIS has issued you a notice. If USCIS issued a notice and you have not received it or it does not appear in your online account, then you may submit an inquiry. NOTE: Please do not submit an inquiry on a recently filed application or petition until after at least 60 days.
Form I-824 Instructions
The applicant or petitioner requests a duplicate I-797 by signing Form I-824 and choosing Item 1.a.
Part 2, Item 1.a; pages 2–3
If you are the applicant or the petitioner of the previously approved application or petition, and you are now requesting action in Part 2., Item Number 1.a. or Item Number 1.b. of this application, you must complete and sign this application. If you are requesting a duplicate approval notice of the application or petition, select Item Number 1.a.
Form I-824 Instructions
An I-824 duplicate reproduces approval-notice information, not the underlying approved petition or another authorization document.
Part 3, Item 1; page 3
The duplicate approval notice contains only the information regarding the approval as listed on the original Form I-797, Notice of Action. The duplicate approval notice does not include a copy of the previously approved application or petition; it only includes Form I-797. A replacement Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card, Permanent Resident Card, travel document or any other USCIS authorization document will not accompany the duplicate approval notice.
8 CFR 106.2(a)(52)
The current regulatory filing fee for Form I-824 is $590.
(a)(52)
Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, Form I-824. To request additional action on a previously approved benefit request. $590.
USCIS I-824 Direct Filing Addresses
A standalone USCIS Form I-824 is mailed to the Phoenix Lockbox.
USCIS Phoenix Lockbox. U.S. Postal Service (USPS): USCIS Attn: NFB P.O. Box 21281 Phoenix, AZ 85036-1281. FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries: USCIS Attn: NFB (Box 21281) 2108 E. Elliot Rd. Tempe, AZ 85284-1806.
USCIS FOIA/PA Records Page
You may request your own USCIS records online, and a narrowly specified request is faster.
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act (PA), you can request: Your own immigration records. Try to request only the specific documents you need. We can process requests for precise records much faster than requests for an entire file.
USCIS FOIA/PA Records Page
USCIS now directs FOIA and Privacy Act requesters to use its online process.
Effective January 22, 2026, all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy requests for USCIS records should be submitted online.
Form G-639
A USCIS records request has no upfront payment, though limited charges can apply.
Part 3
USCIS will contact you with instructions if any fees are required. Please do not send any payment at the time of your request. In accordance with Department of Homeland Security Regulations, your request constitutes an agreement to pay any fees that may be chargeable up to $25.00. We do not charge for the first 100 copies and two hours of search time, and the remaining combined charges for search and duplication must exceed $14.00 before we will charge you any fees.
USCIS I-94 Quick Reference Guide
An I-797A can include the replacement I-94 needed to prove a USCIS-approved change or extension of status.
Form I-797A
USCIS issues this document to an applicant as a replacement Form I-94 (an arrival and departure record). This typically means that USCIS approved an applicant’s change of status so they can legally continue to remain in the United States.
Form I-102 Instructions
A worker whose USCIS-issued I-94 from an extension or change of status is genuinely lost can request a replacement with Form I-102.
Who May File Form I-102, Item 3
Were granted an extension of nonimmigrant stay or change of nonimmigrant status after you were initially admitted to the United States, and you need a replacement of your lost, stolen, or mutilated Form I-94.
91 FR 22952, Table 1
The 2026 general paper-filing total for replacing a lost or damaged I-94 is $584.
Table 1
General Filing (lost, stolen, mutilated, damaged, or other reasons not covered elsewhere) | $560 | $24 | $584
SAVE Records: Fast Facts for Benefit Applicants
A participating benefits or licensing agency can submit an I-797 receipt number through SAVE to verify status.
What is needed to verify my immigration status or U.S. citizenship?
An agency that uses SAVE needs your first name, last name, date of birth, and an identifier. Identifiers used by SAVE include: Alien Number (A#)/USCIS Number, Form I- 94 Arrival/Departure Record Number (I-94#), Student and Exchange Visitor Information System Identifier (SEVIS ID), Naturalization/Citizenship Certificate Number, Card Number, I-797 Receipt Number, Visa Number, and Social Security number.
DOL Fact Sheet #62M
The employer’s express DOL handout obligation concerns the LCA, not the I-797 approval notice.
H-1B Worker Notification
The employer must give a copy of the LCA to each H-1B worker no later than the date he/she reports to a permanent place of work.
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates; immigration forms, fees, addresses, and procedures can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice; SettleKit is not a law firm.
Related answers
Join the SettleKit newsletter
We research the hard parts of settling in the US and write articles you will not find anywhere else. Subscribe to get each new article by email.