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  • Immigration Services and Benefits Programs
  • Overview
  • National Customer Service Center (NCSC)
  • Call Scripts and Information
  • Case Status Online
  • Emergency Travel
  • Naturalization
  • Citizenship
  • Green Card (LPR)
  • Temporary Visitors
  • Employer Information
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  • Asylum
  • Refugees
  • Humanitarian Parole
  • SAVE (Verification Program)



  • The National Customer Service Center

    Introduction
    Numbers to Call
    Hours of Operation
    Automated Services and Live Assistance
    Details on Assistance Available and Rules (PDF file)
    Assistance on Pending Applications by Phone
    Change of Address - for Naturalization Applicants Only
    Request for Emergency Rescheduling of an Appointment
    General Case Status Checks
    Finding the Status of Your Case
    Press Release

    Introduction

    Welcome to the home page of the National Customer Service Center (NCSC).

    Through the NCSC, we provide nationwide assistance by telephone to customers calling from within the United States about immigration services and benefits. Service is available in English and Spanish.

    The NCSC gives customers throughout the country another way to get consistent, accurate information and assistance on immigration services and benefits. We know that service by phone may be more convenient than having to write and wait for a reply, or having to take time off from work to go to the nearest Immigration office.

    Numbers to Call

    You can call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) toll-free for automated information and live assistance concerning immigration services and benefits within the U.S., including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

    If you are outside the United States and have filed an application or petition with a USCIS Service Center, you can call 785-330-1048 to check the status of your case. This number provides automated information only. There is no live assistance available at this number.

    If you are outside the United States and need more information concerning United States immigration, please contact the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

    Hours of Operation

    Customers can access automated information through a menu of automated options 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During regular business hours, customers who need more information or assistance can be transferred to a customer service representative.

    Live assistance is available Monday through Friday as follows:

    • Customers calling from Alaska: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time;
    • Customers calling from Hawaii: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM local time;
    • Customers calling from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time;
    • Customers calling from anywhere else in the United States: 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time.

    In Guam, live assistance is available Tuesday through Saturday, 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM local time.

    The best times to call the NCSC for personal assistance are Tuesday through Friday.

    Automated Services and Live Assistance

    Customers can access automated information through a menu of automated options 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to:

    • Learn about basic eligibility; learn about basic filing and other procedures; and to order forms. (See also Immigration Services and Benefits, How Do I ...?s and Forms, Fees and Filing Locations.)
    • Learn about certain procedures in your local Immigration office, including location and hours of operation. (See also Field Offices.)
    • Obtain case status, IF you filed electronically, OR filed at a Service Center AND have a receipt / tracking number (for example: “EAC0305066165”)

    During regular business hours customers who need more than automated information and help can be transferred to a customer service representative.

    Assistance on Pending Applications By Phone

    In addition to general information and assistance, customers with a pending application for an immigration benefit can handle the following kinds of transactions simply by calling the NCSC. When you call, please have your A-number, any receipt number issued by Immigration, and the last notice you received about your case.

    Change of Address - for Applications or Petitions pending at a Service Center

    If you have a pending application or petition at a service center, call the NCSC toll-free number at 1-800-375-5283 when you move to report your address change.

    Please note that every alien must report a change of address whenever he or she moves. Special Registration address change requirements also apply to some aliens. Note you are required to file a Form AR 11, Change of Address Form.

    Change of Address - for Other Applications Filed at Local Offices or Asylum Offices

    Please write your local Immigration office whose address may be found in the "About Us" section of the Field Offices pages. Be sure to:

    • Address your letter as such:

    Immigration Office or Asylum Office (for example, Boston Office, or Miami Asylum Office)
    123 Main Street, City, State, Zip
    Attention: Change of Address

    • Include in your letter: your name as it appears on the application, your 8 or 9 digit A-Number, and your OLD and your NEW address.
    • Note you are required to file a Form AR 11, Change of Address Form.

    Request for Emergency Rescheduling of an Appointment

    Please make every effort to appear for your scheduled appointment for fingerprinting, interview, or other processing. Failure to appear can delay processing of your case, and can result in your not receiving the benefit for which you applied. However, if an emergency arises and you absolutely cannot make your appointment, call the NCSC to request rescheduling. The NCSC will record the information, and pass it on to the local office, which will make the final decision whether to reschedule your appointment.

    General Case Status Checks

    At this time the NCSC provides specific information about the status of an individual application by phone IF you electronically filed, OR filed at a Service Center AND have a receipt / tracking number. The NCSC can answer many questions about case status for customers who:

    • have a pending application or petition at service center for naturalization, or
    • filed another kind of application at a local USCIS office.

    For information about ways to find out the status of a case other than by phone, see Finding the Status of Your Case.

    Last Modified 05/06/2004