Whether you filed for adjustment of status in the United States or applied for an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad, you should receive a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”)-produced green card delivered by the U.S. postal service. The green card will be mailed to you within four months after your arrival or approval at the address USCIS has on file for you, making it imperative that you provide your correct mailing address when applying for a green card or entering the U.S.

If a law firm is receiving delivery of your green card, you should not change or update your address until after delivery of the card. Otherwise, if you change your address in the U.S., you must provide USCIS your new address by calling the National Customer Service Center, submitting Form AR-11, or updating your address in your ELIS account under the “View My Profile” section. See below for more information on these tools.

Unfortunately, there are instances in which delivery of a green card is delayed or the card is simply lost in the mail. If this happens to you, there are several options you can attempt to have your green card mailed to you again. Note, however, that none of these options is guaranteed to resolve the problem of non-delivery of your green card.

  1. National Customer Service Center. The National Customer Service Center (“NCSC”) has customer service representatives to answer questions regarding the status of your case and assist in determining the delivery status of your green card. You can call NCSC at 1-800-375-5283 during regular business hours to talk to a representative about receiving your green card.

If 30 days pass after contacting NCSC and you receive no response to your inquiry, you can e-mail the USCIS Service Center where your case is pending. Their e-mail addresses are:

If 21 days pass without receiving a response from the Service Center you contacted, you can follow up with NCSC a second time.

  1. Ombudsman Office. If contacting NCSC does not result in the delivery of your green card, ask the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Ombudsman office to help resolve your green card delivery issue by submitting an assistance request. Note that form DHS-7001 can only be filed six months after entry to the U.S. and only if contacting NCSC does not result in the delivery of your green card.
  1. InfoPass. You can schedule an InfoPass appointment at your local USCIS office to talk to an immigration service officer about the non-delivery of your green card. An InfoPass appointment is scheduled online on the USCIS website. Once you have scheduled an appointment, remember to go to the USCIS office and ask about the delivery status of your green card. At the appointment, make sure USCIS has your correct address.
  1. USCIS Electronic Immigration System. The USCIS Electronic Immigration System (“ELIS”) is an online management tool where individuals can create an online account; submit documents, applications, and fees; and track the status of their cases. You can access ELIS online to inquire about the delivery status of your green card.
  1. e-Request. You can submit an e-Request online. This online tool is used to inquire about the non-delivery of a green card or other immigration benefits card.
  1. Contact Your Local Representative. If you have attempted the above options to no avail, try contacting your local U.S. Representative or Senator. Often, U.S. congressmen have a special division in their office dedicated to solving issues their constituents are having with a government agency, including USCIS. The U.S. Representative’s or Senator’s official webpage should have information on how to contact them regarding this service. Typically, you have to fill out a form and submit it to the congressman’s office for review. The congressman’s USCIS liaison aide will contact you or your attorney if s/he is able to solve the problem with USCIS.