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No, a USCIS A-Number doesn't change. DHS assigns a 7- to 9-digit A-Number under 8 CFR Part 264 when it first opens an immigration file on someone, and that number follows the person through every document, renewal, and status change after that. A replacement green card, a renewed EAD, and the green card someone gets after years on an EAD all show the same number.
What HR reads as a "changed A-Number" is almost always a different number on the same card, like the Document Number on the back of a green card or the Card Number on the front of an EAD. Sometimes it's formatting, with the "A" prefix printed on the card but left off in Section 1, or a leading zero that got dropped somewhere along the way. Below are the five patterns we see, what stays the same on every USCIS document, and the rare case worth a second look.
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 says the same thing, and the legal basis for alien registration is 8 CFR Part 264.
Once it's assigned, the A-Number stays with the person. A replacement green card issued ten years after the original, a renewed EAD in the same category, and a green card issued after an EAD all show the same A-Number, even though the card itself changes every time it's reissued.
Almost every "my A-Number changed" question turns out to be one of these five.
| 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 isn't 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. The USCIS Number is the 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. Don't drop leading zeros. |
| "The employee just got a naturalization certificate" | The person is now a U.S. citizen, so 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 and the A-Number field stays blank. |
The A-Number is the one thread that runs through all of the paperwork. It's on the first green card and the tenth, on the first EAD and every renewal after it, and in the upper-left corner of every I-797 approval notice. It even shows up on the response when an employee files a records request under Form G-639.
Everything else on the file changes over time:
Full walkthroughs of where each identifier appears are 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.
Every so often we see documents that seem to show two different A-Numbers for the same person. Most of the time it's one of the patterns above, like a leading zero, the "A" prefix, or a receipt number recorded in the wrong field. Once in a while, though, the record itself is unclear, with an older USCIS filing carrying one number, a newer one carrying another, and nothing from the employee or the paperwork to explain the difference.
Work through these steps when Section 1 and a newly presented List A document show A-Numbers that really are different, beyond a formatting difference:
The A-Number on the employee's new document should match the A-Number in the original Section 1 when you reverify on Supplement B. A mismatch usually means the original Section 1 was recorded wrong, with a receipt number copied by mistake, a Card Number typed into the wrong field, or a leading zero dropped. Under M-274 §9.0, the employee has to make Section 1 corrections themselves by drawing a single line through the wrong entry, writing in the correct A-Number, and initialing and dating the change. Attach a short written note explaining what was corrected and why.
E-Verify checks the A-Number in Section 1 against DHS records when the case is created. A Tentative Nonconfirmation on immigration identifiers gets resolved through the standard TNC process, and never by overwriting Section 1 to match an error screen. E-Verify is only used at initial hire, so reverifying on Supplement B doesn't 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 ICE's March 2026 list of substantive violations. The USCIS I-9 self-audit guidance calls out the same pattern, with Section 1 left blank for LPRs or the A-Number missing after "An alien authorized to work," and these findings can't be fixed during 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 numbers entered in its place. Schedule a free compliance call, or request an I-9 audit.
No. A green card renewal on Form I-90 produces a new card with a new Document Number on the back, but the USCIS# on the front is the same A-Number USCIS assigned when it first opened the file. Section 1 stays the same, and Section 2 records the new Document Number.
No. An A-Number USCIS assigned earlier in the process, for a pending asylum case, an EAD, or a family petition, carries over to the new green card. For someone whose first contact with USCIS is the immigrant petition that leads to the green card, the A-Number assigned then becomes the permanent one.
No. A renewed EAD (Form I-766) has a new Card Number on the front, but the USCIS# field shows the same A-Number. Reverify on Supplement B with the new document and check that the A-Number matches the original Section 1 entry.
No, the A-Number belongs to the person rather than to a particular document or status, so it stays good long after any card showing it has expired.
Rarely. Two genuinely different A-Numbers on documents belonging to the same person should go to the employee's immigration attorney or USCIS to sort out which one the current file uses, and Section 1 stays as it is in the meantime.
No, the USCIS Number is the A-Number without the "A" prefix, so 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 adds the "A" prefix automatically.
Ask to see both the older document (or an earlier Form I-9) and the newer one, and compare the USCIS# field on each. Nine times out of ten the "change" is 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, and the USCIS# fields match.
Reach the i9 Intelligence compliance team Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm CT.