Non-US Citizens
Non-US Citizens
If the United States is not your country. Official pages. Not legal, immigration, or tax advice.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08
If You Are in Danger Now
In the United States, call 911 for a fire, a crime in progress, or a medical emergency. Many local 911 centers do not ask about immigration status, but practice varies by place. Say the language you need.
For a mental-health crisis, call or text 988.
If you are arrested, you can ask the police to tell your country’s embassy or consulate. Look up that embassy on your own government’s site. A commercial “embassy finder” is not an official source.
Start with the Government Front Door
usa.gov immigration and citizenship (opens in a new tab) collects the official routes for visas, green cards, case status, and removal. Use it before a helper’s website.
- I-94 (opens in a new tab) — Customs and Border Protection record of an arrival. It is a travel record, not a court ruling.
- USCIS case status (opens in a new tab) — what that agency has on a receipt number you already hold.
- uscis.gov (opens in a new tab) — forms, offices, and policy. A form from anywhere else may be fake.
- ICE detainee locator (opens in a new tab) — search for a person in immigration detention. It does not show everyone, and a miss is not proof someone is free.
Work, Tax, and Coverage
These pages explain the agency’s own rules. They are not a decision about your case.
- Wage and Hour Division (opens in a new tab) — unpaid wages and some workplace rules.
- IRS ITIN (opens in a new tab) — a tax number for someone who needs one and cannot get a Social Security number. It is not a work permit.
- HealthCare.gov: Coverage for Immigrants (opens in a new tab) — coverage rules for lawfully present immigrants. It is not a promise that you qualify.
- A state driver’s license is a state decision. Use that state’s own .gov motor-vehicle site.
- Public elementary and secondary schools do not require citizenship to enroll a child. That is a general rule, not a decision about one family.
Scams Aimed at Immigrants
- A “notario” is not a US immigration lawyer. In many other countries the word means lawyer. Here it does not.
- No government office takes gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto to stop a deportation or to “fix” a file.
- Check the address. Official sites end in .gov. A padlock is not enough.
- USCIS scams and misconduct (opens in a new tab)
- reportfraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab) if you are in the United States and money or a threat was involved.
Voting and This Site
vote.gov is for US citizens. Do not use it to register if you are not a citizen. Registering when you are not eligible can be a crime.
ShadowPoint will not fill a form, tell you to claim a status, or store your papers. Household emergencies are on ready.gov (opens in a new tab).