A green card (GC), officially known as a Permanent Resident (PR) Card, is an identification card that signifies an individual’s status as a lawful permanent resident of the United States. It contains important information about the cardholder. USCIS introduced latest version of Green Card in Jan-2023. USCIS continuously improves design in order to address security measures, but it will not invalidate old cards.
Table of Content New Design Improvements Front of a Green Card Full Name Country of Birth USCIS# Category Code Date of Birth Sex Resident Since Card Expires Back of a Green Card Barcode Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) First Line Second Line Third Line New Design ImprovementsHere’s a general guide on how to read a green card:
Front of a Green Card Full Name Your legal name is printed at two places. If your full name is long then some characters may be truncated. Country of Birth The cardholder’s country of birth is mentioned on the card. USCIS# This is cardholder’s alien registration number or “A-number”. This is a unique identification number assigned to the cardholder. See, What is USCIS A-Number Category Code The category code indicates the basis for the individual’s eligibility for permanent residency. See, Green Card Category Codes Date of Birth The cardholder’s date of birth. Sex The gender of the cardholder. Resident Since The date when the cardholder became a permanent resident of the United States. Card Expires This is the expiry date of Green Card. Normaly card will he validity period of 10 years. Back of a Green CardThe back of a U.S. Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as a green card (Form I-551), contains important information as well. Here’s an explanation of the typical elements you will find on the back of a green card:
Barcode A barcode is often present, containing encoded information related to the cardholder. This barcode facilitates quick and accurate data retrieval when the card is scanned. Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) The MRZ is a series of numbers and characters at the bottom of the card, which can be read by machines. It contains information similar to what is displayed on the front of the card, allowing for automated processing. First Line Characters 1–2: C1 or C2. (C1 = Resident within the United States C2 = Permanent Resident commuter living in Canada or Mexico) Characters 3–5: USA (issuing country, United States) Characters 6–14: 9-digit number (Alien Number or A-Number) Character 15: Application receipt number Characters 16–30: Immigrant’s case number. The “