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Guide · Life after arrival

When And How The Green Card Arrives

After immigrant-visa admission, check the immigrant fee and U.S. mailing address with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Its delivery estimate depends on payment timing. Check current address-change and nondelivery instructions.

For: Couples who have arrived in the United States on an immigrant visa.

Written from official U.S. government sources. Last reviewed August 2026. Sources and limits. 7 sources await review.

At a glance

  • Check whether the immigrant fee applies. USCIS generally requires payment before producing the card; exceptions exist.
  • Check the mailing address. The State Department collects it at interview; Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can take a changed address at entry.
  • Update USCIS and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) separately after a move. USPS does not update USCIS or forward its mail.
  • Use USCIS’s live timing and inquiry instructions for nondelivery. Save payment and address confirmations.

What produces the card

Origin: unknown or unavailable. Source review neededThis section needs a source check. Read the official source before acting.Reason: this page is withdrawn while we re-check it.Sources

After admission, USCIS checks the immigrant-fee payment and mails the card to the U.S. address given to State at interview, or to CBP at entry if changed. USCIS requires payment before card issuance unless an exception applies. Its current pages explain timing, status checks, address changes, and nondelivery inquiries.

USCIS and USPS need separate address updates

Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.

State collects the mailing address at interview; CBP can take a changed address at entry. After a move, update USCIS and USPS separately. USPS does not update USCIS or forward its mail. Both partners can agree who checks the mailbox.

Where each answer comes from

Origin: unknown or unavailable. Source review neededThis section needs a source check. Read the official source before acting.Reason: this page is withdrawn while we re-check it.Sources

  • How long will it take?

    Where the answer lives
    Check USCIS’s live timing table. Its estimate depends on fee-payment timing and does not predict your card’s delivery date.

  • How much is the immigrant fee?

    Where the answer lives
    The USCIS immigrant fee page carries the current amount and the payment instructions.

  • Where is the card sent?

    Where the answer lives
    USCIS uses the U.S. address given to State at interview or a changed address given to CBP at entry. After arrival, use USCIS’s address-update process.

  • What if it never arrives?

    Where the answer lives
    Follow USCIS’s current fee-page help steps and nondelivery inquiry instructions. Check its address record too.

  • What can we do with it once it arrives?

    Where the answer lives
    USCIS lists what a permanent resident uses the card for on its own page.

The card: the source for each question

If the card has not arrived

Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.

Check USCIS’s current timing table and case status, then follow its help or inquiry instructions. Record the date checked and address on file. A general estimate cannot show where an individual card is or explain a delivery problem.

Keep payment and address records

Origin: suggested action. Suggested actionA way to organise your own case. Optional, and required by nobody.

  1. 1. Check the fee and save payment

    Fee

    The applicant can check whether the fee applies, its current amount, and any exception. Save the payment confirmation.

  2. 2. Check the mailing address

    Address

    Give a changed address to CBP at entry. After arrival, follow USCIS’s address-update process and update USPS separately.

  3. 3. Record address updates

    Moves

    Save when you updated USCIS’s address record and any confirmation.

  4. 4. Record card delivery

    Record

    Either partner can save the arrival date. Check the relevant official instruction for any later deadline.

Ask about travel or employment questions

Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.

Use USCIS’s status, nondelivery, and replacement instructions for card problems. Ask an immigration attorney about unusual admission circumstances or whether another document is sufficient for a particular trip or employment situation.

What to read next

Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.

Common questions

How long does the green card take to arrive?
USCIS's live timing page gives an estimate for immigrant-visa entrants that depends on when the immigrant fee was paid. Check its current table; the estimate is not a prediction of your individual card's delivery date.
Do we have to pay the USCIS immigrant fee?
USCIS says people immigrating as lawful permanent residents must pay unless an exception applies. Check its live payment page and current fee schedule for the amount and exception details.
What happens if we move before the card arrives?
If your address changes immediately after admission, USCIS says to give the new address to CBP. If you move after arrival, update it with USCIS through its online process and update USPS separately; USPS does not forward USCIS mail.
The card has not come. Who do we ask?
Check USCIS's current Green Card timing instructions, confirm the mailing address USCIS has, and follow its help or e-Request instructions if the card has not arrived. USCIS's replacement page also explains what to do if a card is issued with incorrect information.

Related guides

How Togetherward helps

Suggestion

Keep the fee receipt, mailing address, address updates, and card-delivery date in your shared Togetherward case.

In Togetherward

Sign in to your case to continue where this leaves off.

Sign in to continue

This page describes what USCIS publishes about the card after admission. It is not legal advice, it quotes no fee amount, and it does not predict an individual delivery date.

Sources and limits

Last reviewed and verification status

Last reviewed
Last recorded source review: . We aim to re-read it every 90 days.
Withdrawn — temporarily removed from search results while we check it.
Verification status of the sources behind this page
0 of 7 sources are recorded as checked. 7 are awaiting verification. See the note beside each pending source for what remains to be checked.

Pending verification (7)

  • Pending verificationUSCIS — After we grant your green card — Togetherward Team re-read this source for the 2026-09-26 correction; a second editorial reader has not checked this revision against it. Flagged .
  • Pending verificationUSCIS — Immigrant Fee payment portal — This live payment page was newly added and checked by Togetherward Team on 2026-09-26. A second editorial reader has not checked current fee and exemption details. Flagged .
  • Pending verificationUSCIS — Immigrant fee — Togetherward Team re-read this source for the 2026-09-26 correction. Its time-limited exemption text is outdated, so it is cited only for the mailing-address path; a second editorial reader has not checked this use. Flagged .
  • Pending verificationUSCIS — Change of address — Togetherward Team re-read this source for the 2026-09-26 correction; a second editorial reader has not checked this revision against it. Flagged .
  • Pending verificationUSCIS — When to expect to receive your Green Card — This live estimate was newly added and checked by Togetherward Team on 2026-09-26. A second editorial reader has not checked the page or its route-specific timing table. Flagged .
  • Pending verificationUSCIS — Non-Delivery of Card — This nondelivery tool was newly added and checked by Togetherward Team on 2026-09-26. A second editorial reader has not checked its current inquiry conditions. Flagged .
  • Pending verificationUSCIS — Replace your green card — This replacement page was newly added and checked by Togetherward Team on 2026-09-26. A second editorial reader has not checked this revision against it. Flagged .
About this guide and its review

Guide scope

  • Life after arrival
  • CR-1 / IR-1 (Form I-130)
  • F2A (spouse of a permanent resident)
  • After arrival: entry and first documents
Who this is for
Couples who have arrived in the United States on an immigrant visa.
Stage it covers
The weeks after admission, before the card is in hand.
What it helps you do
Understand what produces the card, who mails it, and which obligations sit with you in the meantime.
What this page cannot tell you
  • Your card's actual delivery date. USCIS publishes a conditional timing estimate based on when you pay the immigrant fee; it is not a case-specific prediction.
  • The current immigrant fee amount, or whether it has changed since you read it.
  • Whether a card that has not arrived is delayed, lost, or simply in transit.
  • What proof of status you may be asked for before the card arrives, which depends on who is asking.
  • The status of a specific card or whether an inquiry is available for a particular case.

How we put this page together

Togetherward analysis

This guide uses USCIS’s fee, delivery-estimate, address-change, nondelivery, and replacement pages. It links the current fee and payment-dependent timing table without copying an amount, duration, or individual delivery prediction.

What we did not include

  • A copied delivery estimate, average, or range, or a prediction about an individual card's arrival.
  • The current immigrant fee amount.
  • Advice on how to prove status to an employer, landlord, or agency before the card arrives.
  • Anything about replacing a card in circumstances involving loss abroad or travel.
  • Case-specific interpretation of a USCIS account or status line.

Review record

Author
The Togetherward editorial team. The people who build Togetherward. We are not attorneys and we do not give legal advice.
Review
Reviewed by Togetherward Team
Scope of review
Read the full review scope

Review scope: On 2026-09-26, Codex compared the claims about immigrant-fee payment, Green Card timing, mailing address, nondelivery, and replacement with the USCIS pages listed below and corrected the copy where they differed. The last recorded in-house second-reader review is 2026-08-04, before this revision; a fresh second-reader check remains pending. This source review does not assess legal accuracy, eligibility, or an individual case; speak with a qualified immigration attorney about case-specific questions.

Dates
Last reviewed · Published .
Review status: Withdrawn — temporarily removed from search results while we check it.
How this guide was prepared
How we review guides.
What the labels in this guide mean
  • Official factStated by a U.S. government publisher on the source page we cite.
  • Togetherward analysisOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
  • SuggestionA way to organise your own case. Optional, and not a requirement.
Limitations
  • This is an explanation of a published government process, not legal advice, and not a prediction about your case.
  • Figures that move — processing ranges, Visa Bulletin dates, fees, form editions, interview availability — are described rather than reproduced here, so you read the current number at the source.
  • USCIS, the National Visa Center, the embassy, or the consular officer may ask for something this page does not mention.
  • USCIS publishes a conditional Green Card timing estimate for immigrant-visa entrants. It depends on when the immigrant fee is paid, may change, and is not a case-specific delivery date; this guide links to the current page without copying a duration.
  • USCIS's live immigrant-fee payment page calculates the current amount and says exemptions apply. Check that page and the current fee schedule for current details; the static instruction page is not used here to describe time-limited exemptions.
Commercial independence
Commercial independence: nobody pays to appear on this page. There are no sponsors, no advertising, no referral fees, no affiliate links, and no paid placement of any attorney, agency, or service. Togetherward makes money from couples who use the product, and a commercial relationship cannot change what this page says, when it was last reviewed, whether it is flagged as out of date, or whether it stays in search results.
Corrections
Report a correction using the form below, support@togetherward.app or use the support page.