“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 You left out required evidence, the evidence you sent is no longer valid, or the officer needs more information to decide whether you qualify ⁴.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 at the start. Additional evidence is anything more the officer needs ¹³.

This status applies to every kind of case, marriage-based cases included. The line is the same; the notice says what is asked.

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 that 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 notice itself has to say which requirement isn’t established and why the evidence you sent falls short ³. That is the part the status line leaves out.

So the first job is not to gather documents. It is to read what the officer says is missing.

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.

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 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 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 a representative. You can respond for yourself 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