Immigrant visa issuance and adjustment of status are different events. The correct location depends on the exact question on the form and the process through which permanent residence was obtained. [3]
Use the original approval records
For consular processing, review the issuing embassy or consulate and the immigrant visa. For adjustment, review the USCIS approval notice and case history. The latest airport visited and the card-production facility may answer neither question. [3]
The port where immigrant admission occurred is also distinct from the consulate that issued the visa. [3]
Resolve uncertainty before filing
Compare prior applications, notices, stamps, and any retained immigrant documents. If a record is missing, obtain the appropriate agency record rather than inventing an office from the card’s category code. [3]
Keep a written explanation of the source used. A replacement-card process corrects card errors; it does not permit changing historical facts simply to match an assumed answer. [1][3]
Practical application
A person may have received an immigrant visa in one city, entered through another city, and later received the card by mail from a production facility elsewhere. Those are three different locations. Match the requested location to the precise historical event. For adjustment, the approval notice may be more useful than the travel record. Explain a genuine uncertainty rather than guessing from the mailing envelope. [3]
Use records matching each processing step
The application location is not always the same as the approval location, particularly if a case was transferred or involved consular processing. The immigrant visa identifies issuance information, while a USCIS approval identifies adjustment. An admission stamp or port record concerns entry. Keep these records together when preparing a replacement application so that the chronology is consistent. If a form directs adjustment applicants to skip an immigrant-entry question, follow that instruction. A card’s residence date or category code can help identify the route, but it should not be used to invent an office name that the record does not establish. [1] [2] [3]
Related questions
Related guidance: Place of Admission on a Green Card Application and identifying the office that approved a green card.
Primary sources
- 8 C.F.R. § 264.5 — 2025 CFR edition
- 8 U.S.C. § 1255 — Office of Law Revision Counsel
- USCIS Form I-90 instructions — Processing Information
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.