Updated November 12, 2024

How to check your American visa, USCIS petition and I-94 status online

Where you check your American visa or immigration status depends on which agency holds your record. For petitions and applications filed with USCIS, enter your mailed receipt number on USCIS Case Status Online or sign in to your USCIS online account. Both online tools show the exact same case status available to USCIS Contact Center agents at 800-375-5283. If you are already in the US and need to check or prove your legal-visitor stay, look up your 11-character Form I-94 arrival record through U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the CBP I-94 website or the CBP Link mobile app.

Which government system tracks your status

People searching for their American visa or immigration status are often looking for one of three separate Department of Homeland Security records. Entering a USCIS petition receipt number into a border arrival portal will return no record because separate agencies run each system.

Pick the portal that matches your record right now. USCIS Case Status Online is only for domestic petitions and applications under U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) jurisdiction, while arrival/departure records (Form I-94) and Visa Waiver Program travel authorizations (ESTA) belong to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Where to check US immigration, travel and visitor status by agency

How to check USCIS case status online with your receipt number

If you or a sponsor filed an immigration petition or application in the United States, USCIS tracks that filing from intake to decision. Common filings tracked here include family petitions (Forms I-129F, I-130, and I-751), worker petitions and extensions (Forms I-129, I-140, and I-539), green card and work permit applications (Forms I-485, I-765, and I-90), humanitarian filings (Forms I-589, I-730, and I-821), and naturalization (Form N-400).

The fastest check requires no account. USCIS states that all you need for Case Status Online is the receipt number that USCIS mailed to you after you filed your application. Enter that receipt number on the USCIS Case Status Online page to view the latest action taken on your filing.

If you want automatic updates and full case tools, sign in or register at the USCIS online account portal using your email address and password, or sign in through Login.gov. Even if you mailed a paper application rather than filing electronically, you can connect your case to an online account.

How you link a paper-filed case depends on the letters at the start of your receipt number:

• Paper filings with receipt numbers starting with IOE: USCIS mails a separate account notice with user codes that are valid for 90 days. Use those codes to create your USCIS online account and link the full digital file.
• Paper filings with receipt numbers starting with other letters: create a USCIS online account and add your paper-filed receipt number to receive automatic case alerts.
• What you can do inside your USCIS online account: sign up for automatic case alerts, check processing times, upload unsolicited or requested evidence, update your mailing address, reschedule eligible biometrics appointments, and send secure messages to USCIS from any device.
• Online vs. phone accuracy: USCIS notes that self-service tools like Case Status Online and your USCIS online account display the exact same case status information available to Contact Center representatives.

Troubleshooting USCIS login issues, missing notices and case errors

Most delays in checking a USCIS case come from locked accounts, expired setup codes, or mailed notices that never arrived. Work through the matching fix below before waiting on hold by phone.

• Password, passcode, or login errors: on the USCIS online account sign-in page, use the Forgot Password option or the link for confirmation instructions that did not arrive. If you still cannot get in, have trouble setting up your account, cannot upload documents, or hit an online payment error, submit a ticket to the USCIS Technical Help Desk using the online technical support help form.
• Locked asylum-related online accounts: local USCIS asylum offices schedule in-person appointments for identity verification to access case information or unlock a USCIS online account. Request the appointment through Emma chat on the USCIS website or by calling 800-375-5283.
• Missing notices or USCIS typos: if an interview notice, Request for Evidence (RFE), appointment notice, or secure card was not delivered, or if your document or notice contains a mistake caused by USCIS error, submit a service inquiry through the USCIS E-Request tool.
• Moving while your case is pending: USCIS strongly encourages submitting address changes through your USCIS online account so notices reach you. You can also use USCIS's online change of address tool (Form AR-11) or call 800-375-5283. Note that if you ask to change your address by phone before biometrics have been scheduled, Tier 1 cannot complete it and must escalate your request to Tier 2, whereas updating it in your USCIS online account is self-service.
• Rescheduling a biometrics appointment: you can reschedule most biometric services appointments inside your USCIS online account. Online rescheduling is blocked if the appointment has already been rescheduled 2 or more times, is within 12 hours of the scheduled time, or has already passed. In any of those three cases, you must call the Contact Center.
• Keeping your case numbers safe by email: when an office permits email or mail follow-up, USCIS advises never putting private information in an email subject line and not emailing sensitive identifiers such as your Social Security Number or immigration A-Number unless they are inside an encrypted or password-protected attachment.

How to check I-94 legal-visitor status online after arriving in the US

Inside the United States, your U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record documents your legal-visitor status and displays your Admit Until Date.

Foreign visitors no longer fill out paper Form I-94 cards on flights or ships, and travelers crossing the US land border are now issued electronic I-94s rather than paper stubs. CBP gathers arrival and departure details automatically from electronic travel records.

Whenever you need to verify your immigration status or employment authorization, or prove your legal-visitor status to an employer, school, university, or government agency, check your I-94 online with this checklist:

• Open the CBP I-94 website or the CBP Link mobile app and choose Get Most Recent I-94 to view your electronic admission record, I-94 number, and Admit Until Date.
• Print a paper copy directly from Get Most Recent I-94 on the website or CBP Link app if a school, agency, or employer asks for paper proof. Asking for a paper form during port-of-entry inspection requires referral to secondary inspection.
• Check the 11-character format of your I-94 number. Since May 2019, CBP issues alphanumeric I-94 numbers made up of 9 digits, followed by a letter in the 10th position, and a digit in the 11th position. Unexpired I-94s issued earlier in the 11-digit numeric-only format remain valid until the Admit Until Date shown on the paper form or the CBP I-94 website.
• Watch how your departure is recorded when you leave. Air and sea exits are logged electronically from carrier manifests or CBP records, and anyone still holding a paper Form I-94 should hand it to the commercial carrier, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), or CBP upon departure.
• Keep exit proof after a land-border departure. If you received an electronic I-94 (by air, sea, or land), depart the US by land, are not a resident of Canada or Mexico, and do not re-enter the US before the expiration date stamped in your passport, CBP warns that your departure may not be recorded accurately. Keep dated proof of your exit into Canada or Mexico, such as a passport entry stamp requested from CBSA or Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM), transportation tickets, pay stubs, and receipts.
• Fix errors on an arrival record promptly. CBP operates more than 70 Deferred Inspection Sites across the United States and outlying territories where travelers are referred when arrival documentation needs review or correction. Asylum applicants who need Form I-94 corrections book an in-person appointment at a local USCIS asylum office via Emma chat or by calling 800-375-5283.

Checking ESTA travel eligibility under the Visa Waiver Program

Citizens of the 42 countries in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which the Department of Homeland Security administers in consultation with the State Department, can travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa.

Before traveling, VWP visitors use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), an automated system that collects biographic details and VWP eligibility answers to determine whether you are eligible to travel without a visa. You can submit an ESTA application at any time prior to travel, though CBP recommends applying as soon as you start planning your trip or before buying airline tickets.

Land-border visitors follow the same rule. VWP travelers arriving at a US land border must hold an approved ESTA before reaching the border, and CBP encourages them to apply for their Form I-94 in advance using the CBP I-94 website or the CBP Link mobile app.

Keep one distinction clear when checking your status: an approved ESTA confirms eligibility to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, not admissibility to the United States. CBP officers decide admissibility when you arrive at the port of entry.

When and how to call the USCIS Contact Center

If online tools cannot solve a problem on a pending US petition or application, you can reach the USCIS Contact Center by phone or through Emma, USCIS's bilingual English and Spanish virtual assistant on the USCIS website. When Emma cannot resolve an issue, she can connect you to live chat with an agent.

Inside the United States, the toll-free USCIS Contact Center number is 800-375-5283, and the TTY number for callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability is 800-767-1833. Automated speech-enabled help answers general questions 24 hours a day in English and Spanish and can email or text links to forms. Live agents answer calls and chats Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. If you are calling from outside the United States, dial 212-620-3418.

Do not call just to ask for a routine status update. USCIS states that callers who can be helped through self-service are not routed to a live agent, so anyone calling to ask about case status is directed back to Case Status Online or their USCIS online account. Save phone calls for requests self-service cannot complete, such as expedite requests under USCIS jurisdiction, undelivered notices or secure documents, appointment rescheduling blocked online, USCIS typographical errors, or requests for in-person appointments.

Checklist before calling USCIS or contacting an asylum office

USCIS privacy rules restrict who can discuss a pending or approved filing over the phone, and certain humanitarian filings require extra identity checks before an agent can confirm even basic case facts. Prepare these items before dialing 800-375-5283:

• Confirm you are eligible to ask about the case: live case-specific assistance is limited to the applicant or petitioner, an attorney or accredited representative of record, a parent or legal guardian calling for a minor child, a legal guardian or custodian, or an individual or organization the requestor has authorized.
• Have your paperwork open: keep your mailed receipt notices for the exact forms you are asking about and, if possible, a full copy of the pending or approved application or petition in front of you.
• Agree to callback texts if escalated to Tier 2: when Tier 1 escalates your issue to a Tier 2 Immigration Services Officer, you may get an email response or a follow-up phone call. Tier 1 will ask if you want a text-ahead alert before the officer calls, and you must verbally agree during the call to get that text.
• Expect enhanced identity checks on protected filings: for previously filed, pending, or approved VAWA, T, or U cases (including a Form I-751 Abuse Waiver), the Contact Center must verify your identity before sharing any information. Protected applicants can also send a secure message from their USCIS online account, and USCIS will call to complete specialized identity verification.
• Know the asylum office phone and walk-in rule: USCIS asylum offices do not accept walk-ins and do not give status updates on specific applications by phone because of confidentiality concerns. Check pending asylum receipts on Case Status Online instead.

Getting proof of your legal status while a renewal or case is pending

Sometimes checking your status online is not enough because an employer, school, or travel carrier needs physical proof that you remain in lawful status while USCIS finishes your case.

If your Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) has expired and you filed Form I-90 to renew it, check your mailed Form I-90 receipt notice first. USCIS updated the language on Form I-90 receipt notices to extend Green Card validity for 36 months for individuals with a newly filed Form I-90 pending a decision. Presenting that Form I-90 receipt notice together with your expired Green Card serves as proof of continued lawful permanent resident status without an office visit.

If you have requested a replacement Green Card and need evidence of status or another in-person service, or if you need emergency travel documents, need proof of your immigration status to work or travel, or have been granted permanent residence by an Immigration Judge, you may request an in-person appointment at a local USCIS field office online or by calling 800-375-5283.

Practice example

Our records show you visited the United States last year and left across the land border into Canada. When did you depart, and did you stay past your authorized I-94 date?

Start by giving your exact US arrival date, your authorized Admit Until Date from Form I-94, and the exact date you crossed the land border out of the United States. Keep the timeline to two short sentences so the officer can compare your dates right away. Because CBP notes that an electronic I-94 departure may not record automatically when you leave the US by land and do not re-enter before the expiration date stamped in your passport, check your record on the CBP I-94 website or the CBP Link mobile app before your interview. Have physical proof of that timely exit organized in your folder in case the officer asks to see it. Strong supporting items include a passport entry stamp from the Canadian Border Services Agency or Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migracion, bus or train tickets, boarding passes onward to your home country, or dated receipts and pay stubs from outside the United States.

Consular and border officers check whether you respected the Admit Until Date on past US visits, and an unrecorded land departure can look like an overstay in electronic travel records. Giving exact dates first and having dated exit evidence ready resolves that gap in seconds.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.