DOL Suspends PERM Filings in the H-1B Fraud Probe: An Employer I-9 Guide
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A USCIS A-Number does not change. DHS assigns one 7- to 9-digit A-Number under 8 CFR Part 264 when it opens an immigration file for a noncitizen. That same identifier stays with the person across every subsequent document, renewal, and status change. A replacement green card, a renewed EAD, and an EAD-to-green-card conversion all carry the same A-Number.
What HR reads as a "changed A-Number" is almost always a different number on the same card (the Document Number on the back of a green card, the Card Number on the front of an EAD), a formatting difference (the "A" prefix appearing on the card but not in Section 1), or a leading zero dropped by a keystroke somewhere. This guide walks the five patterns that create the perception, what stays the same across every USCIS-issued document, and the rare case worth looking twice at.
A USCIS A-Number (also called an Alien Registration Number, USCIS Number, or A#) is a unique 7-, 8-, or 9-digit identifier DHS assigns to a noncitizen with an immigration file. The E-Verify Manual defines it as "a unique seven-, eight- or nine-digit number assigned to an alien by the Department of Homeland Security." The USCIS glossary entry is identical. The legal basis for alien registration sits in 8 CFR Part 264.
Once assigned, the A-Number stays with the person. A replacement green card issued ten years after the original shows the same A-Number. A renewed EAD in the same category shows the same A-Number. A conversion from EAD to lawful permanent resident status shows the same A-Number. The card in the wallet changes on every reissue. The A-Number does not.
Almost every "my A-Number changed" question resolves into one of five patterns.
| Perception | What Actually Changed | Where It Goes on Form I-9 |
|---|---|---|
| "The number on my new green card is different from the number on my last card" | The Document Number on the back of the card changed. The USCIS# field on the front is identical. | Section 2 records the new Document Number. Section 1 stays the same. |
| "My EAD shows a different number than my Section 1 entry" | The Card Number on the front of the EAD is not the A-Number. USCIS# is a separate field on the same face. | Section 1 A-Number should match the USCIS# field on the card, not the Card Number. |
| "My new card starts with 'A-' but Section 1 doesn't" | Same identifier, different formatting. USCIS Number = A-Number without the "A" prefix. | Enter digits only in Section 1. A-012345678 and 012345678 are the same number. |
| "One document shows 8 digits, another shows 9" | A leading zero was dropped on one of them, or an older 7- or 8-digit record was padded to 9 in a later system. | Section 1 uses the digits as shown on the current USCIS document. Do not drop leading zeros. |
| "The employee just got a naturalization certificate" | The person is now a U.S. citizen. The A-Number is no longer the identifier Form I-9 asks for. | If a new I-9 is required (rehire, or documented per M-274 §8), Section 1 uses citizen status. The A-Number field stays blank. |
The A-Number is the persistent thread through the paperwork. It sits on the first green card and the tenth. It sits on the first EAD and every renewal after it. It sits in the upper-left of every I-797 approval notice, and, if the employee ever files a records request under Form G-639, it sits on the response envelope.
What changes across the file is everything except the A-Number.
Full walkthroughs of where each identifier appears live in our USCIS A-Number recording guide, the green card number for I-9 piece, the EAD card for I-9 piece, and the Form I-551 guide.
In practice we occasionally see documents that appear to show two different A-Numbers for the same person. Most of the time this resolves into one of the patterns above (a leading zero, the "A" prefix, or a receipt number recorded in the wrong field). Once in a while the underlying record itself is unclear. An older USCIS filing carries one number, a newer one carries another, and neither the employee nor the paperwork explains the difference.
What to do when Section 1 and a newly presented List A document show A-Numbers that are genuinely different, not just formatted differently.
When you reverify on Supplement B, the A-Number the employee's new document displays should match the A-Number in the original Section 1. If it does not match, the most common explanation is that the original Section 1 was recorded incorrectly (a receipt number copied by mistake, a Card Number typed into the wrong field, a leading zero dropped). Section 1 corrections must be made by the employee under M-274 §9.0. The employee draws a single line through the incorrect entry, enters the correct A-Number, and initials and dates the change. Attach a short written explanation of what was corrected and why.
E-Verify runs the A-Number in Section 1 against DHS records at the moment the case is created. If a case comes back with a Tentative Nonconfirmation on immigration identifiers, resolve through the standard TNC process, not by overwriting Section 1 to match an error screen. E-Verify itself is only used at initial hire, so reverification on Supplement B does not create a new case.
"The 'my A-Number changed' question almost always resolves into Section 1 pointing at one field on the card and the new document showing a different field on the same card. What we look for on an audit is whether Section 1 matches the USCIS# field the employee's most recent document actually displays, not whether the digits happen to look the same year to year," says Patricia Duarte, Director of Compliance at i9 Intelligence.
Missing or incorrect A-Number entries for lawful permanent residents are on the March 2026 ICE substantive-violation list. The USCIS I-9 self-audit guidance calls out the same pattern (Section 1 blank for LPRs, or the A-Number/USCIS Number missing after "An alien authorized to work"). These findings are not correctable through the 10-day cure window that used to cover technical errors. Our compliance team can pull the A-Number field across your I-9 book and flag mismatches, blanks, and receipt-number substitutions. Schedule a free compliance call, or request an I-9 audit.
No. A green card renewal (Form I-90) produces a new physical card with a new Document Number on the back. The USCIS# on the front is the same A-Number USCIS assigned when it first opened the immigration file. Section 1 stays the same. Section 2 records the new Document Number.
No. If USCIS assigned an A-Number earlier in the process (a pending asylum case, an EAD, or a family petition, for example), that same A-Number appears on the new green card. If the immigrant petition that leads to the green card is the person's first interaction with USCIS, the A-Number assigned at that point becomes the permanent identifier.
No. A renewed EAD (Form I-766) carries a new Card Number on the front, but the USCIS# field shows the same A-Number. Reverify on Supplement B using the new document and confirm the A-Number matches the original Section 1 entry.
No. The A-Number is tied to the person, not to any particular document or status. Cards expire. The A-Number does not.
Rarely. When two genuinely different A-Numbers appear on documents belonging to the same person, escalate to the employee's immigration attorney or USCIS to identify which A-Number the current file uses. Do not overwrite Section 1 in the meantime.
No. USCIS Number is the same identifier as the A-Number without the "A" prefix. A-012345678 on a green card and 012345678 in Section 1 are the same number. Enter digits only in Section 1 unless your electronic I-9 system stores the "A" prefix automatically.
Ask to see both the older document (or a prior Form I-9) and the newer one, and look at the USCIS# field on both. Nine times out of ten the "change" turns out to be the Document Number on the back of a green card, the Card Number on an EAD, a receipt number from an approval notice, or a dropped leading zero. The USCIS# fields will match.
Reach the i9 Intelligence compliance team Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm CT.