If your Green Card was approved but the card has not arrived, start with the USCIS case status tool and your address on file. USCIS says to submit an e-Request if more than 30 days have passed since you became a permanent resident and you have not received your welcome notice, or more than 30 days since the welcome notice and you have not received your card. If a card was issued but never received, USCIS points to Form I-90 under a specific filing category. This guide describes those official paths and where the official pages are silent.
Step one: see what the case status says
USCIS says to submit an e-Request if its case status online tool says it mailed you an approval notice or document more than 30 days ago and you have not received it. Our guide to how long after approval it takes to get the Green Card and our explanation of the card was mailed status cover what that status means.
Step two: make sure USCIS has your correct address
USCIS says on its documents page: "If you did not receive your document, you should make sure your address on record with USCIS is correct and up to date." The After Receiving a Decision page adds: "If you move before you get your card, change your address online or submit an e-Request." USCIS also says that changing your address with the Postal Service will not change it with USCIS. Our guide on changing your address with USCIS walks through the details.
Step three: the non-delivery inquiry
USCIS's After Receiving a Decision page lists situations in which you should submit an e-Request. Three of them are:
- It has been more than 30 days since you became a permanent resident, and you have not received your welcome notice.
- It has been more than 30 days since you received your welcome notice, and you have not received your new card.
- The case status online tool says USCIS mailed you an approval notice or document more than 30 days ago, and you have not received it.
The USCIS Contact Center page lists "non-delivery of a secure document or non-receipt of a notice" as an inquiry type and points case questions, including undelivered documents, to the e-Request tool. This article does not describe the e-Request form itself, so check the e-Request page on uscis.gov for the exact fields and any other timing language before you file.
Keep in mind that the After Receiving a Decision page shows an older review date (February 2023), so confirm the current guidance before you act.
When a replacement form comes into play
The USCIS documents page says USCIS "may reissue a secure document if the original document was not delivered to you." It also says you "generally do not have to pay a new fee if the reason you did not receive your document is due to our error" or a Postal Service error.
For a Green Card that was issued but never received, the page says to file Form I-90 under filing category 2.b. or 3.b., "My previous card was issued but never received." For a card that is lost, stolen, or damaged, the page says to use the other I-90 categories and that you "generally must file a new form and pay a new fee." Which category fits your situation is something the form instructions explain, and a licensed immigration attorney can confirm it.
What the official pages do not say
The documents page does not give a waiting period for non-delivery or reissuance. We are not stating a wait time here, because none is published on the pages we read. The card replacement timeline USCIS does mention on that page is limited to Employment Authorization Documents replaced because of USCIS error, and it excludes mailing time.
Evidence of status in the meantime
The Contact Center page says: if you have requested a replacement Green Card and need evidence of status, you are directed to request an in-person appointment online or call the Contact Center. Ask about that route if you need to prove your status before the card arrives.
Common questions
How long should I wait before contacting USCIS?
USCIS's After Receiving a Decision page uses 30 days: since becoming a permanent resident for the welcome notice, or since the welcome notice for the card. For a notice or document that the case status tool says was mailed, it also uses 30 days: it says to submit an e-Request if more than 30 days have passed since mailing and you have not received it.
Do I always have to file Form I-90 if the card never arrived?
The documents page says to use I-90 category 2.b. or 3.b. when the card was issued but never received. The e-Request path is the inquiry route for non-delivery. Which applies to you depends on your case, so check the form instructions or ask an attorney.
Will I pay a fee for a card I never received?
USCIS says you generally do not have to pay a new fee if non-delivery was due to USCIS or Postal Service error. It says you generally must pay a new fee for a lost, stolen, or damaged card.
Why might the card not reach me?
USCIS's pages point first to the address on record. If you moved, update it with USCIS directly.
Official sources
- USCIS: After Receiving a Decision
- USCIS: Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
- USCIS: Contact Center
- USCIS: How to Change Your Address
GreenLight is not affiliated with USCIS or the U.S. government. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.