If you lost the receipt number for a green card application, start by recovering it from your records or USCIS rather than entering unrelated numbers into the status tool. The public Case Status Online tool uses the receipt identifier for the particular filing. An A-number is a different identifier.
Look for the number in existing records
Check the I-797 receipt notice, account documents, USCIS emails or text acknowledgments, your attorney’s file, and copies retained by a family petitioner or employer where appropriate. USCIS describes the receipt number as a thirteen-character identifier, ordinarily three letters followed by ten numbers. [1]
Different forms can have different receipt numbers even when submitted together. An I-130 receipt is not automatically the status identifier for I-485, I-765, or I-131.
Use your existing account
A linked case may show its receipt and notices in your USCIS account. If login or authentication is the problem, use the official technical-support process. Creating a second account does not automatically move the pending case. [2]
For example, an applicant may recover the number from a receipt PDF already in the account even after losing the mailed copy. A paper case not linked to the account can require a different linking or access-code process.
Ask USCIS for assistance securely
Contact USCIS through its official channels and explain that the receipt is missing. Have identifying information, filing date, form type, delivery evidence, and any available A-number ready for identity verification. Do not post full identifying records publicly or assume an unsolicited caller can retrieve the case.
- Confirm that the application was delivered and accepted.
- Separate a missing receipt from a rejected filing.
- Check whether counsel or the petitioner received notices.
- Keep the recovered number and notices in a secure backup.
If there is an imminent deadline, a records request may be too slow to serve as the only response. Describe the immediate notice or problem when seeking help.
See USCIS account access and duplicate accounts and a green card case pending over two years. Locating the record is the first task; a missing public update alone does not prove that USCIS lost or denied the application.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.