Do H-1B Holders Have an Alien Registration Number?

Holding H-1B status does not, by itself, get you an Alien Registration Number for H-1B purposes. The A-Number is tied to the permanent residency track, not to temporary work visas. Even so, a large share of H-1B workers already have one, usually because they held an Employment Authorization Document during OPT, because their employer has filed a green card petition, or because of an earlier interaction with immigration authorities.

What the A-Number Is

The Alien Registration Number is a unique identifier the Department of Homeland Security assigns to noncitizens who enter its records in certain ways. It can be seven, eight, or nine digits long and appears with the letter “A” in front, for example A012345678.¹ Once assigned, the number stays with you permanently. It doesn’t change if you switch visa categories or later naturalize.

On an Employment Authorization Document, the same number is printed as the “USCIS Number.” USCIS’s own glossary treats the USCIS Number as a nine-digit identifier and cross-references it directly to the Alien Registration Number.² If you were issued one, that’s your A-Number, and it didn’t expire when the EAD did.

Why H-1B Status Alone Doesn’t Generate One

The H-1B is a nonimmigrant classification for temporary employment in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a specific field.³ The A-Number is primarily associated with the permanent residency process, most commonly triggered when someone files Form I-485 to adjust status to lawful permanent resident.¹ A worker whose only contact with USCIS is an H-1B petition filed by an employer usually isn’t assigned one. That petition is tracked through a receipt number instead.

When You Probably Already Have One

Plenty of H-1B holders assume they’ve never been assigned an A-Number, see the field on a form, and leave it blank when they shouldn’t. Check the following situations against your own history before deciding you don’t have one.

You Held an EAD During OPT or STEM OPT

If you worked on Optional Practical Training or STEM OPT before switching to H-1B, USCIS issued you an Employment Authorization Document with a USCIS Number on the front.² That number is still your A-Number today. Use it on any form that asks.

Your Green Card Case Is Already Started

USCIS creates an alien file and assigns an A-Number when it processes immigration benefit applications. If your employer has filed a Form I-140 immigrant petition for you, or if you’ve filed Form I-485, an A-Number was almost certainly generated in the process.⁴ It appears near the top of the receipt notices and approval notices for those filings. Form I-485 is the clearest trigger: it is titled “Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status,” and the receipt notice you get after filing carries the A-Number that will identify your case from that point on.⁵

You’ve Had Other Substantive Contact With Immigration Authorities

Anyone who has been in removal proceedings, applied for asylum, or had other substantive interactions with immigration courts or USCIS enforcement was assigned an A-Number through that process. This is less common for H-1B holders, but worth checking if your history includes any of it.

Where to Look for It

If you’re not sure whether you have an A-Number, check these documents in this order. They’re the most likely places for it to show up.

Your Employment Authorization Document, if you’ve ever held one. The A-Number is printed on the front as the “USCIS Number.”
Any Notice of Action (Form I-797) tied to an I-140 or I-485 filing. The A-Number appears near the top.
A Permanent Resident Card, if you already have one.
Your myUSCIS online account, where the number may appear in your case information.

If none of those apply, you likely don’t have an A-Number, and that’s normal for an H-1B holder who hasn’t started the green card process or held a prior status that generated one. It doesn’t affect your work authorization or your ability to maintain H-1B status. One will be assigned if and when you begin the permanent residency process.

What to Put on Forms If You Don’t Have One

Almost every USCIS form has an A-Number field. If it doesn’t apply to you, write “N/A.” That instruction runs across USCIS forms, including Form I-485 and the Form I-129 petition used for H-1B workers.⁶⁷

Form I-9 deserves separate attention, because every employee in the United States has to complete it. In Section 1, an H-1B worker who selects “an alien authorized to work” needs to provide one of three identifiers: a USCIS Number or A-Number, a Form I-94 admission number, or a foreign passport number with the country of issuance.⁸ Only one is required. If you don’t have an A-Number, your I-94 admission number works.

Identifiers You’ll Use Instead

Even without an A-Number, an H-1B worker has several identifiers that track legal status and case activity. It’s worth keeping them together.

USCIS receipt number. A 13-character code (three letters followed by ten digits) that USCIS assigns when it receives a petition or application. For H-1B workers, it’s generated when the employer files Form I-129, and it’s the number you use to check case status on the USCIS website.⁹
I-94 admission number. An 11-digit number Customs and Border Protection assigns when you enter the United States. It documents your arrival date, class of admission, and authorized period of stay. You can look up your current record online.¹⁰
Visa number. Printed on the visa stamp in your passport, used for entry to the United States and on consular records.
Social Security Number. H-1B holders are eligible to apply because they have work authorization.¹¹

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Number
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Specialty Occupations
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-140 Instructions for Petition for Alien Workers
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-485 Instructions for Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-129 Instructions for Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Information for Completing USCIS Forms
11
Social Security Administration. Foreign Workers and Social Security Numbers