The submission of an Alien Registration Number is one of the steps in the application for the U.S. Immigrant Visa. No matter the type of immigrant visa you are applying for, alien registration is a must-do exercise. Whether you’re applying for an immigrant diversity visa, family ties visa, employment visa, child adoption visa, or special immigrant visa,

In this article, we’ll explain the difference between an alien registration number and a USCIS case number.

What is an Alien Registration Number?

In a simple term, an alien registration number is an identification number. It is a unique, 9-digit number that the Department of Homeland Security assigns to a non-U.S. citizen. The Alien Number is also referred to as the “A-number or A-number.”

The A-number is a way the U.S. government keeps track of different immigrant forms. Every immigrant gets a unique number, which they keep for life.

What is USCIS Case Number

The USCIS Case Number is a unique 13-digit code that identifies your immigration case. The case number can also be referred to as the USCIS receipt number. For instance, the USCIS Case Number helps you track the progress of your case file or identify a particular immigration filing.

After you file a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), they will respond by mailing you a Notice of Action, which contains your USCIS receipt number.

How to Differentiate Between Alien Number and Case Number

Since you’ve known that the Alien number and Case number are not the same, how, then, do you differentiate them? The alien registration number is a nine-digit number, while the USCIS case number is 13 characters long, with three letters followed by ten numbers.

The three letters attached to the ten-digit number denote the Service Center that received the case. There are several codes for USCIS service centers. They include:

• NBC – National Benefits Center
• CSC – California Service Center
• IOE – ELIS (efile)
• EAC – Eastern Adjudication Center (now known as Vermont Service Center)
• NSC – Nebraska Service Center
• LIN – Lincoln Service Center (now known as Nebraska Service Center)
• TSC – Texas Service Center
• WAC – Western Adjudication Center (now known as California Service Center)
• MSC – Missouri Service Center (now known as National Benefits Center)
• SRC – Southern Regional Center (now known as Texas Service Center)
• VSC – Vermont Service Center

Who Can Gets A- Number?

Everyone who applies for a Diversity Visa, Family Basis Visa, Employment Visa, or Special Immigrant Visa receives an Alien Registration Number from USCIS. All immigrants intending to move permanently into the United States will need an Alien Registration Number.

However, visitors who are in the United States temporarily, on a business or tourist visa, will not get an Alien Registration Number. However, people on F-1 student visas who get work authorization will be able to get the alien registration number, even though they aren’t applying for a green card.

When Do I Get A-Number?

The answer as to when someone will get the Alien Number will depend on the situation in which a petition is filed with USCIS.

For a marriage green card within the United States, USCIS will include your A-Number on the receipt notice you receive after filing your green card application.

If you’re applying for a marriage-based green card outside the United States, you will get an A-number after attending your consular interview at the U.S. consulate. Regardless of whether your spouse is a U.S. citizen or a green card holder, the document you will receive will contain your A-number during the consular interview.

If you are the spouse of a U.S. citizen, you will get the A-number within 30 days after filing for I-485. But if your spouse is already a green card holder, you will not need to file for I-485 until your I-130 petition receives approval and an immigrant visa is available.

Where can I find my Alien Registration Number?

Numerous documents from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services bear the nine-digit A-Number (USCIS). The A-number may occasionally have fewer than nine digits. In this instance, add a zero before the first digit and after the letter “A” to produce a nine-digit number. Your A-number, for instance, would become A023546179 if it were 23546179.

Your Alien Registration Number will be on all the paperwork you receive from USCIS after submitting an application for a green card. even the confirmation that your application for a green card has been received by USCIS Your Alien Registration Number will actually be visible on all approval notices and other significant correspondence you receive from USCIS.

alien registration number on green card

Where you can find your Alien Registration Number for all documents you receives from USCIS include:

• Green Card/permanent resident card: You can find your A-Number on the front side underneath USCIS# or A#.
• Employment Authorization Document (EAD): You may be able to find your A-Number underneath USCIS#.
• Immigrant Visa: The A-Number located underneath Registration Number in the top right portion of the visa.
• Notice of Action: The A-Number is located in the top/right of the document next to USCIS#.
• Immigrant Data Summary: The document you receive in the U.S. embassy or consulate when you for a green card contains your Alien Registration Number opposite the A-Number:
• Immigrant Fee Handout: The Immigrant Fee Handout that provides instructions on how to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee contains your A-Number in the top right corner opposite Your Alien Registration Number.