305.09 Eligibility for Certain Qualified Aliens SR 97-43, 12/97 (AAM-A)

Qualified aliens may be eligible for benefits on either an unrestricted or time-limited basis, depending on type of qualified alien status, or date of entry into the U.S. Unless specifically mentioned below, consider the alien to be ineligible.

The following chart lists common INS documents that verify Qualified Alien status (other than domestic violence). The majority of INS documents contain a seven, eight , or nine digit alien registration number preceded by the letter "A." This "A" number is needed to access the SAVE system (Systematic Verification of Alien Entitlements — see Section 305.23) to perform an alien status verification with INS. Each "A-number" registers one noncitizen only.

 

COMMON INS FORMS

FORM DESCRIPTION AND NONCITIZEN STATUS

I-94

Arrival–Departure Record

Issued to most noncitizens upon entry into the U.S. It is attached to an unexpired foreign passport. Often it includes neither an A-number nor a photograph. It also may contain entries such as the following:

Section 203(a)(7)—Conditional Entry

Section 207—Refugee

Section 208—Asylee

Section 212(d)(5)—Parolee

*Cuban/Haitian Entrant

*Amerasian Immigrant (may have codes AM1, 2, 3 or AM 6, 7, or 8)

I-151

Alien Registration Receipt Card (Also called "Green Card")

Issued to lawful permanent residents prior to June 1978. This form is no longer issued. Note: Although no longer acceptable as verification of lawful permanent resident status, an expired I-151 does not indicate lack of permanent resident status. Encourage the individual to contact INS, 1-800-755-0777, for instructions on how to replace the I-151 card with the current I-551 card.

I-327

Reentry Permit

Issued to lawful permanent residents (lawful immigrants) before they leave the U.S. for a one- to two-year period. The document bears an expiration date.

I-551

Alien Registration Receipt Card (also called "Green Card" although it is no longer green)

Issued to lawful permanent residents after June 1978. Valid indefinitely. Replaced previous Form I-151, which is no longer valid as of 3/20/96.

Also acts as Conditional Resident Alien card

*

Also issued to conditional residents, such as noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens or lawful residents. When this is the case, the form is only valid until the expiration date on the back. Annotated "CR."

I-571

Refugee Travel Document*

Issued to noncitizens who have been granted refugee status. This document contains an expiration date.

N-560A

 

Certificate of naturalization issued for babies verified by INS as born to U.S. citizens overseas.