Here’s How I Found My Alien Registration Number (A-Number) and Why You Should Too

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I had no idea what an Alien Registration Number was until I had to fill out a USCIS form and saw “Enter your A-Number” in bold at the top. If you’re dealing with OPT, a green card, or even Day 1 CPT, this number will come up eventually, and trust me, it’s way better to know where to find it before you’re in a rush.

Your A-Number is basically your immigration ID. It’s a 7 to 9-digit number USCIS assigns to certain noncitizens. You won’t find it if you’re just here on an F-1 or H-1B and haven’t applied for anything else, but once you start the green card process, apply for OPT, asylum, or use consular processing, you’ll probably be assigned one.

I found mine on the front of my EAD card labeled as “USCIS#.” It’s also on green cards, immigrant visas (top right), and on Form I-797 if you’ve received one. If you’ve gone through consular processing, check the Immigrant Data Summary they give you. One thing to know: if your number has fewer than 9 digits, USCIS just adds leading zeroes. That tripped me up at first.

If you can’t find yours, dig through any USCIS emails or documents you’ve received. Still nothing? You can file a FOIA request using Form G-639—it’s free, and I got mine back in about a month. I also reached out to my DSO at one point and they had it on file too.

I’m currently doing Day 1 CPT, and knowing my A-Number early made things way easier. GoElite helped me figure out which schools actually support CPT properly and walked me through what documents I needed to prep. If you’re in the same boat and feeling a bit lost, their free CPT consult was super helpful. Here’s the link: https://goelite.com/day1cpt-consultation

Anyway, just wanted to share in case anyone’s stuck like I was. Having that number ready ahead of time can save you a lot of stress. Let me know if you’re trying to track yours down, I’ve been through it.

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This is such a helpful and relatable post—thank you for sharing! So many international students don’t realize what an A-Number is until it’s suddenly required on a form, and your breakdown is spot on. Knowing that it appears on documents like the EAD card, green card, or I-797 makes it way easier to track down in a pinch. And yes—the leading zero thing is confusing at first! Also love that you mentioned the FOIA route and asking the DSO, both of which can be lifesavers if paperwork is missing. Totally agree that starting early and being organized, especially when doing Day 1 CPT, makes a huge difference. Appreciate the GoElite link too—could be a game changer for someone just getting started.

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i still find the use of the word “alien” so off-puting lol, are we talking about extraterrestrials here :face_with_tears_of_joy:

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This come up when you are filing taxes on your own, I believe it won’t change with a new EAD card so definitely take record of it.

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yo appreciate you posting this — had no clue what an A-number was until I saw it on my EAD too and was like… wait, is this important?

agree 100% — if you’re planning to do anything beyond basic F1 stuff (like OPT, green card, asylum, etc), this number starts showing up everywhere. and yeah, the 9-digit format thing threw me off too lol.

for anyone reading: check your EAD card under “USCIS#” — that’s usually it. and if you still can’t find it, that FOIA route is solid (just takes a bit of time).

also +1 to checking with your DSO — mine actually had it in SEVIS notes.

anyway, glad someone’s talking about this. it’s one of those random things you wish you knew earlier. thanks for the heads up!