If you’re on a J-1 visa and a form is asking for your Alien Registration Number, the short answer is that most exchange visitors don’t have one. The State Department says plainly that not all exchange visitors have an “A” number,1U.S. Department of State. Glossary – J Visa Waiver Online and unless you’ve filed a separate application with USCIS, you almost certainly haven’t been assigned one. That isn’t a problem. It just means the field on the form doesn’t apply to you yet.
What an A-Number Actually Is
The Alien Registration Number, sometimes called the A-Number or USCIS Number, is a unique identifier that the Department of Homeland Security assigns to certain noncitizens. It can be seven, eight, or nine digits long, and it ties together everything in your immigration file across government databases.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number Once assigned, it stays with you permanently. Leave the country, change status, come back years later on a different visa, and the same number follows you.
It Isn’t Your SEVIS ID
This is the most common mix-up for J-1 holders. Your SEVIS ID sits in the upper-right corner of your Form DS-2019 and starts with the letter “N” followed by ten digits. It tracks your exchange visitor program. An A-Number tracks your broader immigration history with DHS. Different systems, different agencies, different numbers. Having one does not mean you have the other, and the SEVIS ID does not go in an A-Number field.
Why Most J-1 Holders Don’t Have One
Your J-1 work authorization comes from the exchange program itself. It’s documented on the DS-2019 and endorsed by your program sponsor’s responsible officer, so you don’t file anything with USCIS to work within the terms of your program.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exchange Visitors (J-1) – Handbook for Employers M-274 No USCIS filing, no trigger for DHS to open an A-file and assign you a number. You entered on a J-1, you’re doing your program, and the immigration system already knows who you are through SEVIS.
When a J-1 Holder Would Have One
An A-Number gets assigned when you file certain applications with USCIS or when you’re placed in removal proceedings. For a J-1 exchange visitor, the situations that typically produce one are:
- Filing Form I-765 for an Employment Authorization Document to work outside the scope of your exchange program.
- Filing Form I-539 to extend or change your nonimmigrant status.
- Filing Form I-485 to adjust status to lawful permanent resident.
- Being placed in removal proceedings.
If none of those describe you, you probably don’t have one. If any of them do, you were assigned an A-Number when USCIS opened that case, and it’s still yours.
Where to Find It
If you’ve been assigned one, it will appear on documents USCIS sent you or on cards it issued. The reliable places to check:
- Your Employment Authorization Document. The number is printed on the front of the card, labeled “USCIS#.”
- Any Form I-797 Notice of Action from USCIS. Receipt notices and approval notices for petitions or applications you filed typically show the number near the top.
- Other correspondence from USCIS about your case.
Your A-Number does not appear on your DS-2019, your J-1 visa stamp, or your I-94 arrival record. If you’ve never received anything from USCIS, that’s a strong signal you haven’t been assigned one.
What to Put on the Form
The right answer depends on the form and on whether you actually have a number.
Form I-765 and Form I-539. Enter your A-Number if you have one. If this is your first USCIS filing, leave the field blank; USCIS will assign a number during processing.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions
Form DS-3035, the J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application. The State Department’s current instructions say to skip the Alien Registration Number field, because A-Numbers are no longer required for waiver processing.5U.S. Department of State. Apply for a Waiver of the Exchange Visitor Two-Year Home-Country Physical Presence Requirement Older guides still tell applicants to enter one. Follow the current State Department instruction.
Form I-9 for a new job. J-1 holders complete the I-9 as an “alien authorized to work,” not as a lawful permanent resident. The I-9 instructions only ask for a USCIS Number from people who select the lawful permanent resident category, so as a J-1 holder you generally won’t enter an A-Number here at all.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification
One rule cuts across everything: if you don’t have an A-Number, leave the field blank or write “N/A” unless the form instructions tell you otherwise. Never make one up, and never enter someone else’s. USCIS cross-references A-Numbers across its databases, and a mismatch between your filing and a prior record can trigger delays, requests for evidence, or a denial.
If you do have one, use the same number on every form. Transposing digits or entering an outdated number causes the same problems. And once you have an A-Number, it stays yours across visa categories. If you had an I-765 approved as a J-1 and later apply to change to H-1B, the same A-Number belongs on the new application. The number follows you, not the visa.
If You Had One and Lost It
Start with old paperwork. Any I-797 notice or EAD card USCIS issued you will have the number. If those are gone, you have two routes.
You can contact the USCIS Contact Center by phone or through its online inquiry system. Have your passport, DS-2019, and any other immigration documents ready, because agents will verify your identity before sharing case information.
You can also request your immigration records directly through a FOIA or Privacy Act request. As of January 2026, all FOIA and Privacy Act requests for USCIS records must be submitted online through the USCIS account portal.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request Records through the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act One caveat for exchange visitors: SEVIS records are maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, not USCIS, so if what you actually need is your SEVIS history rather than a USCIS file, that request goes to ICE.
Treat the Number as Sensitive
USCIS classifies the A-Number as Personally Identifiable Information and treats it as sensitive data whose unauthorized disclosure could cause substantial harm.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual – Privacy and Confidentiality The agency uses it to verify identity during phone and email inquiries, which means anyone holding your A-Number could try to impersonate you. Share it with your immigration attorney or your program sponsor when needed. Keep it off social media, unsecured email, and public forums.