Updated November 12, 2026

Visa americana status: how to check your USCIS case, card delivery, and CBP Form I-94 online

To check your visa americana status for a U.S. petition or authorized stay, use USCIS Case Status Online or CBP's Form I-94 portal. USCIS tracks filed applications and mailed identity cards using a 13-character receipt number, while CBP verifies lawful visitor stay using an 11-character Form I-94 number.

Which government tool checks your U.S. visa or immigration status

People looking up their visa americana status are usually checking either a USCIS filing record or a CBP arrival and departure record.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) handles petitions and applications filed inside the immigration system, such as family petitions, work petitions, Employment Authorization Documents, and Green Cards. You track those filings through USCIS Case Status Online or a personalized USCIS online account.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tracks your lawful admission and authorized stay once you enter the United States. You must exit the United States on or before the departure date stamped on Form I-94, which is the Admit Until Date on the electronic Form I-94.

U.S. government status and tracking tools by immigration stage

How to check your USCIS case status with a 13-character receipt number

You can check a pending USCIS petition or application from a computer or cell phone using USCIS Case Status Online on the USCIS website. Before clicking the check status button, USCIS encourages you to read the privacy act statement displayed beneath it.

To run a search, find your unique 13-character receipt number on any Notice of Action that USCIS mailed to you. Every USCIS receipt number begins with 3 letters followed by 10 numbers. Common 3-letter prefixes listed by USCIS include EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC, and IOE.

Format the code carefully when you type it into the search box. Omit all dashes, and keep every other character, including asterisks if an asterisk is printed on your notice as part of the receipt number.

Once submitted, Case Status Online displays the last action taken on your filing and outlines any required next steps. If you are tracking family members or concurrent filings, enter the next code directly in the Enter Another Receipt Number field.

• Open a free personalized USCIS online account: An account displays up to the last 5 actions taken on your case, stores electronically filed forms, and sends automatic updates.
• Use the Case Status Online hub for other updates: The same landing page links to online address changes, e-Request case inquiries, processing time lookups, and the USCIS office locator.
• Call for phone support when needed: If you have questions about your status result, call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Bilingual status guide: English portal terms explained for Spanish speakers

Many applicants searching for visa americana status speak Spanish at home while reading English status screens on USCIS and CBP portals. Misreading an English label can cause you to miss a missing-mail inquiry or overlook the Admit Until Date on your Form I-94.

Our team compiled the reference table below from USCIS and CBP guidance so you can match exact English portal terms to their plain Spanish meanings and required actions.

English USCIS and CBP status terms with Spanish meanings and next steps

How to track Green Card, EAD, and notice delivery by mail

Once USCIS approves an application for a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), Employment Authorization Document, or travel document, tracking shifts from case adjudication to mail delivery. Under the Secure Mail Initiative (SMI), USCIS ships these secure identity cards and travel documents through U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation.

Sign into your USCIS online account to get automatic updates, including your USPS tracking number as soon as USCIS mails your card or travel document. Even if you filed your original application on paper by mail, you can create a USCIS online account to track delivery, or check Case Status Online to see whether your card has been mailed.

USCIS also recommends signing up for USPS Informed Delivery. Informed Delivery sends daily images of mail headed to your address, tracks expected packages automatically, lets you turn on email and text alerts, and lets you leave USPS Delivery Instructions for your carrier.

• Check where your card is addressed: USCIS mails your card or travel document to the address on your application, unless you requested delivery to your attorney or accredited representative on Form G-28, Notice of Entry or Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative.
• Label your mailbox clearly: Put your full name on your mailbox, especially if you live in an apartment or multi-unit building.
• Report any move right away: Update your mailing address with both USCIS and USPS as soon as you move, using the USPS Look Up a ZIP Code tool so abbreviations match standard postal formatting.
• Avoid costly delivery failures: Failing to update your address promptly can delay your case, cause lost documents, and require you to reapply and pay the filing fee again.

What to do if your USCIS notice or card is lost in the mail

Paper USCIS notices and plastic identity cards follow two different replacement rules when mail goes missing. Paper USCIS notices, including approval notices, cannot be tracked through UPS or USPS.

If a paper notice does not arrive, submit an online case inquiry with USCIS under the did not receive notice by mail category using your 13-character receipt number. If you do not know your receipt number, call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 for assistance.

If USPS tracking under the Secure Mail Initiative marks your Green Card or travel document as delivered, and your mailbox is empty, start the steps on the USPS Find Missing Mail webpage right away.

If USPS still cannot locate the package and you think the postal carrier returned it to USCIS, call the USCIS Contact Center or submit a case inquiry under the did not receive card by mail or did not receive document by mail category. In some cases, USCIS can try a second delivery, though you generally must file a new form to have a non-delivered secure document reissued.

How to verify your authorized U.S. stay and Form I-94 online

After you enter the United States, your lawful nonimmigrant status is governed by DHS Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, also called your Departure Number or Admission Record Number. DHS issues Form I-94 to foreign nationals who are admitted to the United States, adjusting status while in the country, or extending their stay.

Every traveler needs a Form I-94 except U.S. citizens, returning resident aliens, noncitizens entering on immigrant visas, and most Canadian citizens visiting or passing through in transit. You must leave the United States on or before the departure date stamped on your Form I-94, shown as the Admit Until Date on your electronic record.

Since April 30, 2013, CBP has generated most Arrival/Departure records electronically upon arrival by air and sea, and CBP now issues electronic I-94s at land borders too instead of paper stubs. Beginning in May 2019, CBP switched Form I-94 numbers to an 11-character alphanumeric layout consisting of 9 digits, 1 letter in the 10th position, and 1 digit in the 11th position.

Anyone who needs to prove legal-visitor status or employment authorization to an employer, school, university, or government agency can retrieve their I-94 number and travel history on the CBP I-94 website or the CBP Link mobile app.

• Print a paper copy anytime: Select Get Most Recent I-94 on the CBP I-94 website or CBP Link mobile app to print your own copy for forms or verification.
• Requesting a paper form at inspection: You may ask for a paper Form I-94 during border inspection, and CBP handles all paper requests in a secondary inspection setting.
• Visa Waiver Program land arrivals: VWP travelers arriving at a U.S. land border must hold an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before arrival and are encouraged to apply for an I-94 in advance through the CBP I-94 website or CBP Link mobile app.
• Missing record fallback: If you cannot pull up your record on the CBP website, you may file Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Record, with USCIS.

Worked example and 6-step checklist for tracking your status

Worked case written by our team. The applicant and numbers are invented.

Mateo entered the United States on a nonimmigrant visa and later filed an application with USCIS. His paper Notice of Action prints receipt number MSC-26-410-88392, while a second electronically linked notice prints IOE*0934182756. On USCIS Case Status Online, Mateo types MSC2641088392 with the dashes removed, and for the second notice he types IOE*0934182756 with the asterisk kept intact. He then opens a free USCIS online account to view his last 5 case actions, turns on USPS Informed Delivery, and gets his USPS Priority Mail tracking number once USCIS ships his card under the Secure Mail Initiative.

Next, Mateo checks his authorized stay before booking a return flight. He opens the CBP Link mobile app, taps Get Most Recent I-94, and downloads his 11-character alphanumeric Admission Record Number, 482910374B6 (9 digits, a letter in the 10th spot, and a final digit). He verifies his Admit Until Date and saves a PDF copy for his records.

Use this 6-step checklist from our team to keep every U.S. status and delivery record organized:

• Step 1: Save every USCIS Notice of Action and write down your 13-character receipt number without hyphens.
• Step 2: Create a personalized USCIS online account so you can see up to the last 5 actions on your case.
• Step 3: Enroll in USPS Informed Delivery and confirm your full name is printed on your apartment or house mailbox.
• Step 4: Confirm whether Form G-28 directs your secure cards to your attorney or directly to your home address.
• Step 5: Pull your electronic Form I-94 on the CBP I-94 website or CBP Link mobile app after every U.S. entry and calendar your Admit Until Date.
• Step 6: Save your CBP travel history and keep physical exit proof whenever you leave the United States across a land border.

Recording land border departures and fixing Form I-94 errors

Checking your Form I-94 after you leave the United States is just as helpful as checking it when you arrive. When you depart by air or sea, CBP records your exit electronically using commercial carrier manifest data or CBP inspection records. If you were issued a paper Form I-94, hand it to your commercial carrier, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), or CBP when you depart.

Land border exits require extra care if you hold an electronic Form I-94. CBP warns that if you entered by air, sea, or land with an electronic I-94 and later leave by land, your departure may not record accurately unless you re-enter the United States before the expiration date stamped in your passport.

If you are not a resident of Canada or Mexico, receive an electronic I-94, leave by land, and do not re-enter the United States before that passport stamp expires, travel with proof of your exit into Canada or Mexico. CBP accepts passport entry stamps requested from CBSA when entering Canada or from the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) when entering Mexico, along with transportation tickets, pay stubs, and dated receipts.

If an incoming traveler's admission record or documentation needs additional review or a correction after entry, CBP operates more than 70 Deferred Inspection Sites across the United States and outlying territories.

Practice example

Your electronic Form I-94 does not show your last exit into Mexico by land. When did you leave the United States, and how can you prove you departed on time?

Give the exact date and land port where you exited the United States, and match that date against the Admit Until Date on your electronic Form I-94 from the CBP I-94 website or CBP Link mobile app. Because CBP does not always record land departures automatically when you do not re-enter before your passport stamp expires, bring dated third-party proof of your exit to show the officer if asked. Strong evidence includes a passport entry stamp requested from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migracion or the Canadian Border Services Agency, bus or train tickets, dated receipts, or pay stubs outside the United States. State only the dates your records support, keep a printed copy of your CBP travel history ready, and bring any USCIS extension or change-of-status notices.

Officers check whether you exited the United States on or before the Admit Until Date recorded on your Form I-94. Dated border entry stamps, travel tickets, and receipts resolve unrecorded land departures with objective proof.

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.