Your USCIS Online Account Number is in two reliable places: the Profile section of your myUSCIS account at myaccount.uscis.gov, and near the top of any Form I-797 Notice of Action USCIS has mailed you. It’s the unique identifier tied to your online filing account, and it stays the same across every case you submit through the system.
Finding It in Your myUSCIS Account
If you already have a myUSCIS account, the fastest route is to sign in at myaccount.uscis.gov with your registered email and password. Once you’re in, go to the Profile section. Your Online Account Number is displayed there.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Online Account
The same dashboard shows your case history, status updates, secure messages from USCIS, and any Requests for Evidence waiting for a response.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Benefits of a USCIS Online Account Any case you filed online is already linked. If you filed a paper form and received a receipt number beginning with “IOE,” you can add that case to the same account using the Online Access Code that USCIS mailed you on an Account Access Notice.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Create a USCIS Online Account
Finding It on a Paper Notice
USCIS prints your Online Account Number on Form I-797, the Notice of Action it sends after you file. The same form is used to confirm receipt of a filing, communicate an approval or denial, or schedule an appointment. Look near the top of the notice for a field labeled “USCIS Online Account Number.”
If you filed on paper and USCIS assigned you a receipt beginning with “IOE,” you’ll also have received a separate Account Access Notice. That notice carries your Online Access Code, which is the key to linking the paper case to an online account.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Create a USCIS Online Account Hold on to both documents. Immigration cases can stretch over years, and having a photo of the notice on your phone is easier than searching through a filing cabinet later.
Make Sure You’re Looking at the Right Number
Two other numbers get confused with the Online Account Number all the time, and putting the wrong one on a form creates problems.
It Is Not Your A-Number
The Alien Registration Number (A-Number) is a seven-, eight-, or nine-digit number that the Department of Homeland Security assigns to identify you personally in immigration records.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Glossary The Online Account Number identifies your digital account in the myUSCIS portal. You should have one of each, and they are not interchangeable. When a form asks for your “USCIS Online Account Number,” writing your A-Number in that field won’t work.
It Is Not Your Online Access Code
The Online Access Code is a temporary code USCIS mails to you on an Account Access Notice. Its only job is to help you link a paper-filed case to your existing online account, and a replacement takes about 30 days to arrive by mail if you request one.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Get a New Online Access Code? The Online Account Number, by contrast, is permanent and stays with your account for every future filing.
Why It Matters to Have the Right Number
When you file a paper form and leave the Online Account Number blank, USCIS’s system creates a brand-new account for that case. You now have two accounts, and USCIS cannot merge them.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Get a New Online Access Code?
To reach the orphaned case, you’d have to create a second account using a different email address, then juggle two logins and two sets of notifications for as long as those cases stay open. Anyone managing an adjustment of status, a work permit, and a travel document at the same time will find split cases very hard to track. The prevention is straightforward: before you file, pull your Online Account Number from your myUSCIS profile or from a prior I-797, and write it on every paper form. If an attorney is preparing the filing, give it to them.
If You Can’t Log In
If you’re locked out and can’t check your Profile, start with the “Forgot Password” link on the myUSCIS sign-in page. You’ll verify your identity through your registered email and reset your password.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Online Account Once you’re back in, the account number is in the Profile section.
Losing access to the email tied to your account is harder. USCIS does not offer self-service email changes for accounts you can’t sign into. Two options remain: check your paper files for an I-797 or an Account Access Notice that shows the number, or call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Contact Center Have your receipt notice and a copy of your pending application ready, because USCIS will verify your identity before discussing any case information.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Contact Us
Once you have the number, save it somewhere outside the portal. A password manager, a secure note, or a photograph of the I-797 all work. That single step spares most people from ever needing to make the call in the first place.