Location Where Your Immigrant Visa Was Issued or Adjustment of Status Granted (Form I-90)

This question asks where you officially became a permanent resident. Specifically, it focuses on the U.S. embassy or consulate that issued your immigrant visa or the USCIS office that approved your adjustment of status.

It does not ask:

• Where you filed the application
• Where forms were mailed
• Where biometrics were taken

USCIS instructions don’t provide detailed directions for the question. You need to think of where your case was approved. Think of this as the final step, not the starting point, of your green card process.

If you became a permanent resident through consular processing, your immigrant visa was issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.

For this question, list the city and country of the U.S. embassy or consulate that issued the visa. For example, someone whose visa was issued at a U.S. consultate in Ciudad Juárez would enter "Ciudad Juárez, Mexico."

This is the location printed on your immigrant visa and typically shown in your passport. For most people, it will also be the embassy or consulate where you first submitted paperwork.

If you adjusted status while inside the United States, list the USCIS office that approved your adjustment of status.

Typically, this is the USCIS field office where you attended an interview (if applicable) and that approved Form I-485.

You can often find this information on:

• Your Form I-485 approval notice
• Your green card approval documentation

Remember, this question refers to the office that granted your status, not where you mailed or dropped off the application.

Applicants often delay Form I-90 by mixing up similar locations. Avoid these errors:

• Listing the filing location instead of the approval location
• Listing a USCIS service center instead of a field office
• Entering the name of your current city instead of the issuing office
• Guessing when approval records are available

When in doubt, rely on official approval or visa documents.

Many people do not remember approval details from years ago or never knew where their case was approved. Afterall, if you were a child, you likely don't know the location where your immigrant visa was issued or uscis office where you were granted adjustment of status. If your records are incomplete or unclear:

• Check old approval notices or passport visa pages
• Use the office name shown on your green card approval
• Avoid leaving the answer blank unless allowed

Form I-90 asks two similar questions for a reason. Each captures a different stage of your immigration journey. Another question on the application asks about the location where you applied. However, that is a separate question with a different purpose.