Case Migrated To ELIS: What It Means and Your New Receipt Number
USCIS moved your case into its electronic system and gave it a new receipt number. Here is what its message says, what to do with the new number, and what the status does not mean.
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What USCIS's message says
When USCIS moves a case, the status reads Case Migrated To ELIS and the message under it says, in USCIS's words:
"On [date], we moved your case into our electronic immigration system for processing. We have assigned a new receipt number to your case, [new receipt number]. Please use this new receipt number when interacting with USCIS or viewing updates on your case."
The message goes on to say you can track your case in your USCIS online account, that USCIS will write to you by mail if it needs anything else, and that you should give USCIS your new address at uscis.gov/addresschange if you move.
What ELIS is
ELIS is the USCIS Electronic Immigration System: the system where USCIS keeps a case as an electronic record. USCIS's message says it moved your case into that system and gave it a new receipt number. If the new number starts with IOE, that is the prefix USCIS gives cases handled in ELIS (what the IOE prefix means).
What to do with your new receipt number
- Use the new number from now on. USCIS asks you to use it when you contact USCIS and to see updates on your case.
- Check it where you checked the old one: in USCIS Case Status Online and in your USCIS online account at my.uscis.gov.
- Keep the message. It is the record that links your old receipt number to the new one.
- If you move, give USCIS your new address at uscis.gov/addresschange, as the message says.
What the status does not mean
The message says USCIS moved your case into its electronic system for processing. It does not say that your case was approved, denied or moved to a new step, and it does not say how long the rest will take.
USCIS publishes current processing times by form and office on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times). Your case history, with each recorded step and its date, shows what has happened so far.
Following your case after the move
With the new receipt number, your myUSCIS account keeps a step-by-step history of your case: event codes, dates, the office that has it and the notices sent. CaseStatusAPI reads that history from your own account and explains each step in plain English, including updates the public status does not show. It is an independent tool, not part of USCIS.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Case Migrated To ELIS" mean?
USCIS moved your case into ELIS, the USCIS Electronic Immigration System, for processing, and gave it a new receipt number. Its message asks you to use the new number from now on.
Will I get a new receipt number?
Yes. The message names your new receipt number and asks you to use it from now on. If it starts with IOE, that is the prefix USCIS gives cases handled in ELIS.
Does it mean my case was approved or moved forward?
No. The message says USCIS moved your case into its electronic system for processing. It does not say that a decision was made or when one will be.
How long does a case take after it is migrated to ELIS?
USCIS does not say. Processing times depend on the form, the category and the office; USCIS publishes its current times on its processing times page (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times).
How do I follow my case after it was migrated?
Use the new receipt number, as the message asks: in USCIS Case Status Online and in your USCIS online account. With the new number, CaseStatusAPI reads the case history in your own myUSCIS account and explains each step in plain English.
See your own case, explained.
See every step USCIS has recorded for your case, in plain English: your timeline, silent updates, and what usually comes next for cases like yours.
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