The J-1 visa number is the red eight-character code printed in the bottom-right corner of the visa foil glued inside your passport. It’s usually all digits, though occasionally it starts with a single letter followed by seven digits. That’s the number a form is asking for when it says “visa number” or “nonimmigrant visa number.” But it isn’t the only identifying number tied to your exchange program, and it’s often not the one a particular form actually wants. Your DS-2019 carries a different number, your entry into the U.S. generates another, and any application you file with USCIS produces one more. Knowing which is which saves real trouble.
Where the Visa Number Sits on Your Passport
Your J-1 visa is the full-page sticker (the “foil”) placed inside your passport by the U.S. embassy or consulate that approved your application. Look at the bottom-right corner of that sticker. The eight-character code printed in red ink is the visa number, sometimes called the visa foil number. It identifies the physical foil itself, not your exchange program, and the State Department uses it to track which secure document was issued to you.
One common trap: the visa stamp also shows a separate “control number” in smaller print. That’s an internal State Department tracking code with no practical use for you. When a form asks for your visa number, use the red one and ignore the control number.
If your passport expires but the visa inside it is still within its validity dates, the visa itself remains valid. You can travel to the United States carrying the expired passport with the valid visa alongside your new passport. Don’t peel the visa out of the old book.1Travel.State.Gov. Exchange Visitor Visa
While you have the visa in front of you, check the bottom of the foil for a notation reading “bearer is subject to 212(e).” That’s the two-year home residency requirement, and knowing early whether it applies to you matters for any future change of status or green card plans.
When a Form Wants Your SEVIS ID Instead
Many forms and payments related to your J-1 program don’t want the red visa number at all. They want your SEVIS ID, which lives on your DS-2019.
The SEVIS ID appears in the top-right corner of the DS-2019, above the barcode. It’s the letter “N” followed by a string of digits, like N0001234567.2BridgeUSA. Detailed Description of the DS-2019 SEVIS stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, the database that the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State use to track exchange visitors throughout their stay.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exchange Visitors Your SEVIS ID was generated the moment your program sponsor entered you into the system.
You’ll be asked for the SEVIS ID, not the visa foil number, when you:
- Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee before your visa interview ($220 for most J-1 applicants, or $35 for certain government-sponsored categories)4ICE. I-901 SEVIS Fee
- Request a program extension or transfer to a new sponsor
- Apply for a waiver of the two-year home residency requirement
- Contact your sponsor about status updates or corrections
If you’ve received an updated DS-2019 because of an extension, a sponsor transfer, or a data correction, the SEVIS ID stays the same across every version. Always work from the most recent DS-2019, since it reflects your current program dates.
If your DS-2019 is lost, damaged, or stolen, contact your program sponsor. Only your designated sponsor can reprint the form; neither USCIS nor the State Department will issue a replacement. The reprint carries the same SEVIS ID. Scan or photograph every DS-2019 you receive and store the copy somewhere separate, so you can pull your SEVIS ID even if the original goes missing.
Retrieving Your I-94 Admission Number
Your I-94 is the arrival/departure record that Customs and Border Protection creates when you enter the United States. Since 2013, this record has been generated electronically for most travelers, so there’s no paper card to keep.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Information for Completing USCIS Forms
To retrieve your I-94 number, go to i94.cbp.dhs.gov and enter your name, date of birth, and passport number exactly as they appeared on the travel document you used at the port of entry.6I-94/I-95 Website. Travel Record for U.S. Visitors If you’ve renewed your passport since your last entry, use the old passport number tied to that entry. If you no longer have that number, you’ll need to file a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain your record.7Homeland Security. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions
The record shows your entry date and admitted-until date. For J-1 holders, the admitted-until field typically reads “D/S” (Duration of Status), meaning your authorized stay is tied to the program end date on your DS-2019 rather than a fixed calendar date.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Information for Completing USCIS Forms
If your I-94 contains errors (wrong status code, misspelled name, incorrect date), visit a CBP Deferred Inspection site to have them corrected. If the error came from USCIS rather than CBP, file Form I-102 with USCIS instead.7Homeland Security. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions A wrong I-94 seems minor until you try to extend your program or reenter the country, at which point it becomes urgent.
USCIS Receipt Numbers
If you file an application with USCIS during your program (most commonly Form I-612 for a waiver of the two-year home residency requirement), you’ll receive a receipt number once the agency accepts your filing.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-612 Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement It’s a 13-character code: three letters followed by ten digits. The letter prefix indicates the service center handling your case. Common prefixes include EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, and IOE.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number
Use the receipt number to check your case status at uscis.gov and to identify your case any time you contact USCIS. If you’re pursuing a 212(e) waiver, the Department of State’s Waiver Review Division also assigns its own case number after you pay the waiver fee, and you’ll need that separate number for correspondence about the waiver itself.10Department of State. J-1 Visa Waiver Status Check System Information The DOS case number and the USCIS receipt number come from different agencies and track different things. Don’t substitute one for the other.
Which Number to Use, at a Glance
- Visa number (red, bottom-right of the visa foil): forms asking for “visa number” or “nonimmigrant visa number.”
- SEVIS ID (N followed by digits, top-right of the DS-2019): I-901 fee payment, extensions, transfers, waiver applications, sponsor communications.
- I-94 number (retrieved at i94.cbp.dhs.gov): proof of lawful entry and current admission status.
- USCIS receipt number (three letters plus ten digits): tracking any application you’ve filed with USCIS.
- DOS waiver case number (assigned after you pay the waiver fee): correspondence about a pending 212(e) waiver.