On March 16, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service announced that lawful permanent residents (LPRs) can now receive temporary evidence of their status by mail instead of visiting a field office for an Alien Documentation, Identification and Telecommunication (ADIT) stamp (also known as an I-551 stamp).

Lawful Permanent Residents may need an ADIT stamp if:

• They don't have their Green Card or
• Their Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form N-400 Application for naturalization cases are pending and their existing Green Card has expired.

To obtain temporary evidence, LPRs can contact the USCIS Contact Center, where their identity and mailing address will be verified. If necessary, an in-person appointment will be scheduled, or a request for an ADIT stamp will be submitted to the USCIS field office. If an appointment is not required, the field office will review the request and send the applicant a Form I-94 with the ADIT stamp, DHS seal, and a printed photo of the resident.

The issuance of temporary evidence in the form of an ADIT stamp is at the discretion of USCIS, with the validity period determined based on the resident's situation (up to one year, unless specified otherwise). Some LPRs may still need to appear in person if they have urgent needs, lack a usable photo in USCIS systems, or if their address or identity cannot be confirmed.

This new process enables USCIS to provide timely temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status without requiring a scheduled field office appointment, thus reducing the burden on applicants and improving the availability of field office resources.