When people talk about their “H-1B visa number,” they usually mean one of two things, and the difference matters. If you’re filling out a form, checking case status, or giving a number to your employer or attorney, you almost always need the 13-character receipt number printed on your Form I-797, Notice of Action. If you’re being asked about the visa stamp in your passport, that’s a different number, called the visa foil number, printed in red on the stamp itself. Here is how to find your H-1B visa number in each place, and how to tell which one you actually need.
What the Receipt Number Looks Like
USCIS assigns a receipt number to every petition it receives, including the H-1B petition your employer filed for you. It’s 13 characters: three letters followed by ten digits, often written with dashes, like WAC-24-123-12345. The three-letter prefix identifies the service center or filing system handling the case. You may see EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC, or IOE. An IOE prefix means the petition moved through USCIS’s electronic filing system.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number
When you type the number into a USCIS online tool, drop the dashes and enter just the letters and digits.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checking Your Case Status Online
Where to Find the Receipt Number on Form I-797
Form I-797, Notice of Action, is the document USCIS issues to confirm that your H-1B petition was received (I-797C) or approved (I-797A).3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions The receipt number sits in the top-left area of the form, clearly labeled “Receipt Number.”
If your employer or immigration attorney filed the petition, they have a copy. Asking them is usually the quickest way to get the number, faster than any workaround.
Finding It in Your USCIS Online Account
If your petition was filed electronically, or you’ve previously linked a case to a myUSCIS account, log in to view your case history. The receipt number appears there along with the status and prior actions.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Benefits of a USCIS Online Account
For paper-filed cases, you can add the case to your account by choosing “My Account,” then “Add a paper-filed case,” and entering the receipt number. That obviously doesn’t help if the receipt number is what you’re trying to recover, but it’s worth logging in first in case an earlier case is already linked. For IOE-prefixed cases, USCIS mails an Account Access Notice containing an Online Access Code that lets you link the case and use additional features like secure messaging.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Create a USCIS Online Account
The Visa Foil Number on Your Passport Stamp
If you went through consular processing abroad, the U.S. embassy or consulate placed a visa stamp, also called a visa foil, in your passport. That stamp carries its own number, printed in red in the bottom-right corner. It’s typically eight digits, sometimes a letter followed by seven digits.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID – Section: Visa Stamp
This visa foil number is not your receipt number. It identifies the physical visa document and is used mainly for entry into the country. Some government forms ask for it, so it helps to know where to look, but if someone asks for your H-1B petition number or case number, they want the receipt number from your I-797, not the foil number.
Numbers People Confuse With the H-1B Visa Number
Immigration paperwork produces a small pile of identifiers, and mixing them up is common.
- A-Number (Alien Registration Number). A seven- to nine-digit number the Department of Homeland Security assigns to certain people, most often in connection with permanent residency. If you’re on H-1B and haven’t applied for a green card, you may not have one.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
- I-94 admission number. An 11-character identifier that U.S. Customs and Border Protection assigns each time you enter the country. Since May 2019, the format is nine digits, a letter in the tenth position, and a digit in the eleventh. You can retrieve your current I-94 at i94.cbp.dhs.gov. It tracks your entry and authorized stay; it says nothing about your H-1B petition.8U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Arrival/Departure Forms I-94 and I-94W
- H-1B registration confirmation number. If your employer entered you in the annual H-1B lottery, the electronic registration system issued a 19-digit confirmation number. It’s tied only to the lottery registration and cannot be used to check case status. The receipt number comes later, after selection, when your employer actually files the petition.
What to Do If You Cannot Find Your Receipt Number
If your paperwork has gone missing, try these in order from fastest to slowest:
- Ask your employer or immigration attorney. Whoever filed the petition keeps records of every submission. In almost every case, this is the shortest path.
- Check your USCIS online account. If the case was linked previously, the receipt number and history are there.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Benefits of a USCIS Online Account
- Call the USCIS Contact Center. The number is 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. You’ll verify your identity, and you may be pointed to online tools first. If those don’t resolve the question, a representative can help. Expect a wait.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Contact Center
- File a FOIA or Privacy Act request. As a last resort, you can request your own immigration records at uscis.gov/foia or by paper Form G-639. This works, but processing runs weeks to months depending on backlog.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request Records through the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act