“Request for Additional Evidence Was Sent”: what it means

What does “Request for Additional Evidence Was Sent” mean?

It means USCIS issued a request for evidence on your case. One law firm’s capture of USCIS status wording describes it as a fairly common step meaning USCIS needs additional documents or information to make a decision ⁸.

USCIS’s own glossary gives three reasons it may ask. You left out required evidence, the evidence you sent is no longer valid, or the officer needs more information to decide whether you qualify ⁴.

“Sent” is the key word. It tells you a request exists. It does not tell you that you hold it yet ⁷¹¹.

You may see a slightly different line. A status tracker lists “Request for Initial Evidence Was Sent” ¹⁰. We couldn’t find that wording on a USCIS page we could open, so treat it as reported, not confirmed.

The regulation explains why “additional” matters. A request must say whether it asks for initial evidence or additional evidence ¹.

Initial evidence is what the form requires you to file with your petition or application at the start. Additional evidence is anything more the officer needs ¹³.

This status can appear on most immigration applications and petitions, marriage-based cases included. The line is the same; the notice says what is asked. Refugee and asylum applications follow different RFE rules ³.

The status line, decoded

Here is the sequence you may see on Case Status Online. The wording is from a law firm’s capture of USCIS statuses ⁸. USCIS may change wording at any time, so yours may differ.

Two cautions about the response step. The firm says USCIS does not always update its system with it ⁸. So a missing update is not proof your package didn’t arrive.

And the line says nothing about whether your answer was enough ⁸¹¹.

Status trackers publish percentages of what followed this line. Those numbers come from one form at a time, such as work permits, and aren’t official ⁹¹⁰. They can’t tell you what will happen to your case, so we don’t use them.

One more thing: a notice on a paper Form I-797E is the document that requests evidence ⁵. The online line points to it. It does not replace it.

Is it a good sign or a bad sign?

Neither. An RFE is a request, and the regulation treats it as an option short of a decision ¹³.

Here is what the rule says. If required initial evidence is missing, USCIS may deny or ask for it ¹. If the initial evidence is in but doesn’t establish eligibility, USCIS may deny, ask for more, or warn you it plans to deny ¹.

An RFE is one of those choices. So is a denial. The Policy Manual adds that USCIS may deny without sending an RFE first ³.

That means this much is true. The officer asked before deciding. It does not mean the decision will go well or badly, and no one can predict the outcome of your case from the status line.

The Policy Manual puts the purpose in plain terms: to obtain necessary evidence or draw out further information ³. A request must also say what requirement isn’t established and why the evidence isn’t enough ³.

One law firm calls an RFE neither a denial nor a formality ¹¹. That is a fair way to hold it. It deserves a careful, complete answer.

Why did USCIS send one?

USCIS’s glossary names three reasons: required evidence was missing, evidence you sent is no longer valid, or the officer needs more information to decide whether you qualify ⁴.

The RFE notice itself has to say which requirement isn’t established and why the evidence you sent falls short ³. It also gives examples of other evidence you can send ³. That is the information the status line leaves out.

So the first job is not to gather documents. It is to read which missing documents the officer names.

A response that answers a question the officer never asked doesn’t help, as one law firm warns ¹¹. Answer the request in the order it asks, and say which line each document answers ¹¹.

What should you do next?

Your choices inside the deadline are three: a complete response, a partial response and a request for a decision on the record, or withdrawing the request ¹.

How do you respond to a request for evidence that was sent?

Start by finding your USCIS notices. To check Case Status Online, you need your receipt number: three letters, then 10 numbers. It is on the notices of action USCIS has sent you. Type it without dashes ¹².

If you have a USCIS online account, USCIS says it will text or email you when you need to respond to a request for evidence. Sign in and open the Documents or Notices tab to view the notice and respond to it ¹³. Service is complete the day USCIS uploads the notice ³.

An RFE response sent online counts as received on the day you submit it, even on a weekend or federal holiday ³. USCIS’s tips for evidence uploads and RFE responses say files must be no larger than 12MB, generally PDF, JPG or JPEG, and not encrypted or password-protected ¹³.

A response sent by mail must reach USCIS by the response deadline printed on the notice ³.

What if USCIS asks for a document that doesn’t exist?

Sometimes a requested record was never made, or can’t be obtained. The regulation says that creates a presumption that you are not eligible, so you must show why and fill the gap another way ¹.

1. Show proof the document doesn’t exist or can’t be obtained ¹.
2. Send secondary evidence instead, such as church or school records that speak to the same facts ¹.
3. If that is unavailable too, show that, and send two or more affidavits from people who aren’t parties to the petition and who know the event first-hand ¹.

As proof a record doesn’t exist, send an original written statement on government letterhead from the relevant authority. It must give the reason and say whether similar records are available ¹.

If you can’t get that statement from the relevant foreign authority, you may send proof of repeated good-faith attempts to get it. USCIS can still require the statement where such records are generally available ¹.

Foreign-language documents need a full English translation. The translator must certify it as complete and accurate and state that they are competent to translate ¹. Online, USCIS says to upload a certified English translation with the original ¹³.

Missing documentation doesn’t extend the deadline ¹. In your RFE response, say which line of the notice each substitute answers ¹¹.

What if you don’t respond in time?

If you don’t respond by the required date, USCIS may deny the case as abandoned, deny it based on the record, or do both ¹.

This is the part that turns a request into an ending, so it is worth planning around. The status line won’t warn you.

The deadline is the date, not the day the notice reached you. One law firm puts it this way: count from the date printed on the notice ¹¹.

What happens after USCIS receives your response?

For a request for additional evidence, any time limit on USCIS processing is suspended on the date of the request. It resumes where it stopped when USCIS receives your response, or your request for a decision on the record ¹.

A response can raise eligibility questions the officer did not see at first. Then the officer issues a follow-up request or a notice of intent to deny ³.

You need sufficient evidence to show you were eligible when you filed your petition or application. If you don’t, USCIS denies the request ¹³.

Premium processing covers only certain forms. In it, the time period stops and resets when USCIS asks for more evidence, and a new one begins when it receives your response ¹⁴.

If the answer is a denial, the officer must explain the specific reasons in writing. If the decision can be appealed, it must also say where and give the appeal form ¹⁶.

Whether you can appeal, or only file a motion, depends on the application or petition USCIS denied. Some appeals, such as for Form I-130, go to the Board of Immigration Appeals on a different form ¹⁵.

When Form I-290B applies, it is due in most cases within 30 days of the date of service, or 33 if USCIS mailed the decision. That date is the day USCIS mailed it, not the day you received it ¹⁵.

One denial has no appeal. A denial as abandoned, for not responding by the deadline, can’t be appealed, but you may file a motion to reopen ¹. USCIS may excuse a late motion to reopen only if the delay was reasonable and beyond your control ¹⁵.

What if the notice never arrives?

The status may update before the paper arrives. One law firm suggests that if no notice shows up within about two weeks of the status change, you check the address USCIS has on file ¹¹.

If USCIS issued a notice you did not receive, check Case Status Online, then send a non-delivery inquiry through USCIS’s e-Request page ⁷.

Don’t wait on this. The clock may be running from the date on the notice, not from when you open it ¹¹¹.

If a lawyer or accredited representative is on file for your case, ask them whether they already hold the notice.

Where is the full guide to responding?

You don’t need to guess at the contents. The request is a Form I-797E notice of action that must name the evidence it wants, say whether it is initial or additional, and give the deadline ¹⁵.

For the full walk through a real notice, and what to put in your response, see our main guide, got a request for evidence from USCIS? Here’s what it means.

If the request is about a sponsor’s income, our I-864 RFE guide covers that one. For the letter on top of your RFE response, see what to include in an RFE response cover letter.

When should you talk to a lawyer?

Consider it if your case deadline is close, the request is long or confusing, or you aren’t sure which documents answer it. A weak answer can turn a request into a denial ¹¹¹.

You don’t need an immigration attorney or other representative. You can respond for yourself ⁶. A representative can advise you on which documents and evidence to send ⁶.

If you want one, only three kinds can represent you before USCIS: a lawyer in good standing, an accredited representative at an organization recognized by the Department of Justice, or a supervised law student or graduate ⁶.

USCIS’s Legal Services page points to the Department of Justice’s lists of free and low-cost immigration lawyers and of accredited representatives ⁶.

Be careful with a “notario.” In the U.S., a notary is not a lawyer and can’t represent you ⁶.

Before you call anyone, gather the notice, your receipt notice and the documents you filed. It makes a short call go further.

Talk it through with Scribe

Tell Scribe what your notice says. It helps you understand your options in plain English and writes a summary you can share with a lawyer. Talking with Scribe is free.

Talk to Scribe for free

Scribe is an AI assistant, not a lawyer. AI can make mistakes. Check important details, and talk to a lawyer before you act.

Common questions

Sources

1. 8 CFR 103.2, Submission and adjudication of benefit requests · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
2. 8 CFR 103.8, Service of decisions and other notices · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
3. Policy Manual, Vol. 1, Part E, Ch. 6, Evidence · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
4. Request for Evidence (RFE) glossary entry · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
5. Form I-797 types and functions · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
6. Legal Services · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
7. e-Request, non-delivery of notice · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
8. USCIS Case Status Overview (PDF) · Seyfarth Shaw
9. USCIS Case Status Message Explorer: Request for Additional Evidence Was Sent · Lawfully
10. USCIS Case Status Message Explorer: Request for Initial Evidence Was Sent · Lawfully
11. What Your USCIS Case Status Actually Means · Headman Law Group
12. Checking Your Case Status Online · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
13. Online Filing Options · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
14. How Do I Request Premium Processing? · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
15. Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion · U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
16. 8 CFR 103.3, Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations