Green Card category codes are the short letter-and-number labels on your card that identify the exact legal pathway you used to become a lawful permanent resident. Every card carries one. It tells the government whether you got your status through a family relationship, a job, the diversity lottery, refugee or asylee protection, or another route, and it can affect how soon you qualify for citizenship, whether you have to file paperwork to keep your status, and which travel document you need when you leave the country.
Where the Code Appears on Your Card
On cards USCIS began issuing in 2023, the code sits under a field labeled “Category” on the front of the card.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Redesigns Permanent Resident Cards and Employment Authorization Documents Older versions used the label “Class” for the same information.2USCIS Guide. Green Card Category/Class Code Comparison Either way, look near the center or right side of the card face.
How To Read the Code
Each code starts with one or more letters that represent a broad classification. “IR” means immediate relative of a U.S. citizen. “E” signals an employment-based preference. “DV” means diversity visa. A number follows the letters and narrows things down to a specific relationship or sub-type.
The number also tells the government how you were processed. For many categories, lower numbers mean you entered on an immigrant visa issued at a consulate abroad, and higher numbers mean you adjusted status from inside the United States. IR1 is a spouse of a U.S. citizen who arrived from abroad; IR6 is a spouse who adjusted status here.3Department of Homeland Security. Immigrant Classes of Admission
Principal vs. Derivative
In preference-based categories, the trailing number also distinguishes the main applicant from family members. The principal’s code usually ends in “1,” the spouse’s in “2,” and a child’s in “3.” DV1 is the diversity lottery winner, DV2 is the spouse, and DV3 is a child.4Department of State. Immigrant Visa Symbols A few employment categories shift the derivative numbers higher: for EB-1 (E11, E12, E13), the spouse is E14 and the child is E15.
Family-Based Codes
Family-based codes make up the largest share of Green Cards. They split into two groups: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, which have no annual cap, and family preference categories, which are capped.
Immediate Relatives
Immediate relatives account for more than 40% of all new permanent residents.3Department of Homeland Security. Immigrant Classes of Admission The most common codes:
- IR1 / IR6: Spouse of a U.S. citizen, married two or more years at the time of admission. IR1 is a new arrival; IR6 is an adjustment.
- CR1 / CR6: Spouse of a U.S. citizen where the marriage was less than two years old at admission. The “C” stands for conditional.
- IR2 / IR7: Unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen.
- IR5 / IR0: Parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21.
- IR3 / IR4: Orphan adopted abroad by a U.S. citizen (IR3) or orphan coming to the U.S. to be adopted (IR4).
Codes beginning with “IB” cover self-petitioners under the Violence Against Women Act. Codes starting with “IW” apply to widows and widowers of U.S. citizens.3Department of Homeland Security. Immigrant Classes of Admission
Family Preference Categories
Family preference immigrants wait in line under annual numerical limits:5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants
- F1 (e.g., F11): Unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older of U.S. citizens.
- F2A (e.g., FX1, FX2): Spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents.
- F2B (e.g., F21, F24): Unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older of permanent residents.
- F3 (e.g., F31): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
- F4 (e.g., F41): Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
Each preference level has derivative codes for the principal’s spouse and children.
Employment-Based Codes
Employment-based codes begin with “E.” The first digit after the letter indicates the preference tier:
- E11: EB-1 priority worker with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. No job offer or labor certification required.4Department of State. Immigrant Visa Symbols6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment-Based Immigration: First Preference EB-1
- E12: Outstanding professors and researchers (EB-1).
- E13: Multinational managers and executives (EB-1).
- E21: EB-2 professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability.
- E31: EB-3 skilled workers, professionals, and other workers.
Investor Codes (EB-5)
The fifth employment preference covers immigrant investors, and the codes depend on when the petition was filed and where the investment was made. For petitions filed before March 15, 2022, common codes include C51 (investment outside a targeted area) and T51 (rural or high-unemployment area). For petitions filed on or after that date, newer codes apply, including NU1 (non-regional center, unreserved), RR1 (regional center, rural set-aside), and RI1 (regional center, infrastructure set-aside).7Foreign Affairs Manual. Employment-Based IV Classifications EB-5 investors receive conditional status for two years and must petition to remove the conditions by showing the investment was sustained and the required jobs were created.
Diversity, Refugee, and Asylee Codes
Diversity Visa
Diversity lottery winners get codes starting with “DV.” DV1 is the principal who arrived from abroad; DV6 is a winner who adjusted status inside the United States. Spouses and children receive DV2/DV7 and DV3/DV8.3Department of Homeland Security. Immigrant Classes of Admission
Refugees and Asylees
Refugees who adjust to permanent residence are typically assigned RE6. Asylees who adjust get AS6. Spouses and children of the principal receive derivative codes (RE7/RE8 for refugee families, AS7/AS8 for asylee families).3Department of Homeland Security. Immigrant Classes of Admission Separate codes exist for specific populations: CU6 for Cuban refugees who adjusted under the Cuban Adjustment Act, IC6 for Indochinese refugees, and GA6/SY6 for Iraqi and Syrian asylees. These distinctions can matter for benefit eligibility and travel documents.
If Your Code Starts With CR or CF: The I-751 Deadline
Codes beginning with “CR” or “CF” mean you have conditional permanent residence, granted when the qualifying marriage was less than two years old at the time you became a permanent resident.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1186a – Conditional Permanent Resident Status for Certain Alien Spouses and Sons and Daughters
Conditional residence lasts two years. You must file Form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) during the 90-day window immediately before that two-year anniversary if you are filing jointly with your spouse. If you are filing on your own with a waiver based on divorce, abuse, or your spouse’s death, you can file at any time before your conditional status expires.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
Missing the deadline is one of the most consequential mistakes in immigration law. Failure to file results in automatic loss of permanent resident status and the start of removal proceedings.10eCFR. 8 CFR Part 216 – Conditional Basis of Lawful Permanent Residence Status If your card shows a CR or CF code, put the 90-day filing window on your calendar now.
How Your Category Affects When You Can Naturalize
Most permanent residents can apply for U.S. citizenship after five continuous years as a lawful permanent resident. If your category shows you got your status through marriage to a U.S. citizen, you may qualify in three years instead. To use the three-year path, you must still be married to and living with that same U.S. citizen spouse, and your spouse must have been a citizen for at least three years.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-400, Instructions for Application for Naturalization
Codes like IR1, IR6, CR1, and CR6 can signal eligibility for the shorter waiting period, but the code alone is not enough. You still have to meet the residency and good moral character requirements. Self-petitioners under VAWA (codes beginning with “IB”) also have a three-year path and do not need to show they remained in a marital union. Military service members may have different requirements entirely, including possible exemption from the residency period.
Travel Documents and Your Category
Most permanent residents can travel with their Green Card and a valid passport, or apply for a reentry permit on Form I-131 for extended trips. If you got your Green Card through refugee or asylee status (RE6, AS6, and their derivatives), you should apply for a Refugee Travel Document rather than a standard reentry permit.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records Returning to the country you fled on your original passport can raise questions about the basis of your protection, so many refugees and asylees keep using the Refugee Travel Document even after becoming permanent residents.
Fixing a Wrong Category Code
If the code on your card does not match the approval you actually received, file Form I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card).
If USCIS printed the wrong code, select the option indicating the card has incorrect data because of a Department of Homeland Security error. Return the card with the wrong code and submit documentation showing what the correct information should be, such as your original approval notice. When the error is USCIS’s fault, you generally do not pay a filing fee.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
If the error traces back to information you provided, you file the same form but select the option for a biographic change, and the standard filing fee applies. In either case, keep copies of your approval documents. They are the strongest evidence of what your code should be.
Looking Up a Code You Don’t Recognize
The Department of Homeland Security publishes a full list of immigrant classes of admission with the meaning of each code.3Department of Homeland Security. Immigrant Classes of Admission The State Department publishes a reference document listing all immigrant visa symbols and the section of law each one falls under.4Department of State. Immigrant Visa Symbols
If your code does not appear in those lists or you need your full immigration history, you can request your own file from USCIS through a Freedom of Information Act request, either through the USCIS FOIA portal or by using Form G-639. Providing your Alien Registration Number (A-Number) and any receipt numbers helps USCIS locate your file faster, and requesting specific documents rather than the entire file speeds up the response.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-639, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request