If you have applied for a driver’s license, a state ID, or another government benefit as a nonimmigrant or green card holder, you may have been told that your application is “pending immigration status verification.” What this usually means is that the agency — for example, your state Department of Motor Vehicles — has submitted your information to the SAVE Program, a Department of Homeland Security system that agencies use to confirm an applicant’s immigration status before issuing a benefit or license.

The good news is that you do not have to sit in the dark or make repeated trips back to the DMV. USCIS offers a free online tool called SAVE CaseCheck that lets you follow the progress of your own verification case from home, as often as you like.

What Is SAVE CaseCheck?

Most SAVE cases are verified for agencies within seconds. Some cases, however, need additional review, and processing times for that additional review can vary. CaseCheck allows you — the benefit applicant — to see whether your verification request is still pending with SAVE or whether a response has already been sent back to the agency handling your application.

How to Check Your Case: Step by Step

1.       Go to the official CaseCheck website at save.uscis.gov/casecheck (or visit www.uscis.gov/save/save-casecheck and click “Check Your Case”).
2.       Select the type of identification you presented to the agency. It is very important to use the same document information you gave the agency — for example, the DMV — when you applied.
3.       Enter your date of birth along with one of the following: your SAVE verification case number (if the agency gave you one), your Social Security number, or a number from your immigration document.

Acceptable document numbers include:

•         Alien Number (A-Number) or USCIS Number
•         Card number or Form I-797 receipt number
•         Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record number
•         Foreign passport number
•         SEVIS ID number (for F-1 students)
•         Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization number

What the Results Mean

CaseCheck will show one of two responses. If your case is still pending with SAVE, no action is needed — simply keep checking periodically. If a response has already been returned to the agency, you should contact that agency (such as your DMV) directly about the status of your license or benefit, because SAVE only verifies status; the agency makes the final decision.

Practical Tips

•         Double-check that the document number and date of birth you enter exactly match what you provided to the agency.
•         CaseCheck is free — never pay anyone to “check your SAVE case” for you.
•         If additional verification is taking unusually long, or you believe your records contain an error, consult an experienced immigration attorney.

For questions about SAVE, you can also email SAVE.help@uscis.dhs.gov.

By: Rahul Reddy

Rahul Reddy is the founding partner of Reddy Neumann Brown PC. He founded our firm in 1997 and has over 28 years of experience practicing employment-based immigration. Rahul‘s vast knowledge of the complex immigration system makes him an invaluable resource and an expert in the field. His personal experience with the immigration system has made him empathetic to each of his clients’ cases and empowered him to help others achieve the American Dream.

Rahul‘s dedication to serving the immigrant community is evident, from his daily free conference calls to his weekly immigration Q&As on Facebook and YouTube Live. He is an active member of the immigrant community and one of the founders of ITServe Alliance. He has been a member of American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1995.