To identify the office that approved adjustment, start with the I-485 approval notice and relevant case correspondence. The card’s mailing or production location is not necessarily the office that decided the benefit. Consular visa issuance and admission at a port are different events again. [2] [3]
Determine how permanent residence was obtained
A person who adjusted status inside the United States should review the adjustment decision. A person who entered using an immigrant visa should identify the consulate that issued the visa and the port where admission occurred. Asking which office issued the card can otherwise mix several separate steps. [2] [3]
USCIS’s I-90 instructions distinguish the location of application, the place where the immigrant visa was issued or adjustment granted, and the port-of-entry information required for an immigrant arrival. Those distinctions are useful when reconstructing the record. [3]
Compare the documents rather than infer from one code
Keep the approval, transfer notices, interview correspondence, immigrant visa where relevant, and admission evidence together. A receipt prefix, return address, or card category should not alone be treated as conclusive proof of the office that made the adjustment decision. A case may involve processing and production at different places.
The best answer to a form question is the location of the particular event requested. For example, the latest airport visited may identify a recent trip but not the office that granted adjustment years earlier. A form asking about visa issuance should not automatically receive that airport’s name. [3]
When the record is missing or appears wrong
Look for retained notices and prior application copies, and use the appropriate agency record-request or inquiry process when necessary. Explain which historical event needs to be established. Do not invent an office simply to complete a required field.
A genuine error on the permanent resident card is addressed through the applicable correction or replacement framework, not by handwriting a new location or changing the underlying history. Preserve evidence showing the correct information and why the existing entry is wrong. [1]
If the question arises because an application is being prepared, keep a short chronology showing application, approval or visa issuance, admission, and card delivery. That makes it easier to use consistent answers and distinguish a document-production question from a substantive immigration decision. [1] [2] [3]
Related questions
See Place of Admission on a Green Card Application and Where Was Your Immigrant Visa or Adjustment Granted?.
Primary sources
- 8 CFR 264.5 — 2025 CFR edition
- 8 U.S.C. § 1255 — Office of Law Revision Counsel
- Form I90 Instructions 01/20/25. Part 3 Processing Information. Item Number 1: Location where you applied for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status. List the location of the U.S
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.