Check Immigration Case Status Online: The Official Tools
To check an immigration case status online, the USAGov guide names two official tools. If you filed an application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, use its case status online tool and enter the 13-character receipt number from your application. For applications the guide routes to the U.S. Department of State, it names that department's own status check portal, where you choose immigrant or nonimmigrant and enter your case number. The guide also lists phone lines.
What the official pages say
The USAGov guide How to check your immigration case status and find processing times covers cases filed with the immigration agency. Its instruction is short: "Use the case status online tool to check for updates about your immigration case." The item to have ready comes in the next line: "You will need your 13-character receipt number from your application".
For applications it routes to the State Department, the same guide says "you can check your application status in the U.S. Department of State's" own status check portal. The second USAGov page on this subject gives the same two steps: choose your application type "(immigrant or nonimmigrant)" and "Enter your case number". The USAGov hub on immigration and citizenship lists "Check your immigration case status and find processing times" among its most popular items.
| What you want to check | Official tool named by USAGov | What you enter |
|---|---|---|
| An application filed with the immigration agency | Case status online tool | Your 13-character receipt number |
| An application the guide routes to the U.S. Department of State | The Department of State status check portal | Immigrant or nonimmigrant, then your case number |
| How long processing may take | Case processing time tool | The form and form category, and the office handling your case |
By phone
The guide also lists phone contacts for the immigration agency. If you are calling from the U.S., the Contact Center is at "1-800-375-5283 or TTY 1-800-767-1833". If you are outside the U.S., the page says to "call 212-620-3418" or to contact an international field office of the agency.
Processing times
A status check and a processing time estimate come from separate tools. The guide notes that "Even if you have not filed an application" you can "still find out how long processing may take" with the case processing time tool. You will be asked to select the form and form category you have filed or intend to file, and the office handling your case.
What is not covered or depends on your situation
Which tool fits depends on where your application went: a receipt number belongs to the immigration agency tool, while a case number with the immigrant or nonimmigrant choice belongs to the State Department portal. The processing time tool asks you to select a form, a form category and an office, and these pages do not say what its result means for any single case. The second USAGov page also points to an online account with the immigration agency to learn how to "Update your address" and how to use the "Enterprise Change of Address (E-COA) self-service tool"; whether that applies to you is not covered here. These pages explain where to check and what to enter, not what a particular status update means for you. For a general question about government services, USAGov says you can "Ask a real person any government-related question for free."
Where to look next
For related topics, start at the Immigration and U.S. citizenship section of USAGov, which links to both status pages along with guides on Green Cards, citizenship and deportation.
Scope note
This page is general information drawn from official government pages. It is not a review of anyone's case, and a question about your personal situation belongs with an independent attorney. Our guide on finding authorized immigration help describes official routes. The picture on this page is illustrative only: one person crouches beside a wooden raised bed in a sunny garden and reaches toward a single young seedling.
- USAGov: Check immigration case status
- USAGov: Check the status of a visa application
- USAGov: Immigration and citizenship
VisaNow.AI is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information taken from official government pages; it does not assess anyone's case. An attorney-client relationship arises only with an independent attorney. Check the official pages for current details.
Information current as of 2026-10-26