What is “Class of Admission” on Form I-90?

A reader asked a question about Class of Admission while filling out Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. I did a little Googling and apparently many people are confused by the term USCIS used, especially if they entered the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa which also belongs to a certain class of admission.


For I-90, question 12 is asking for the class of admission with regard to your permanent residency. It is a three-letter code representing the immigrant category under which you became a permanent resident. If you have a newer version, you can find the code on the front side of your green card right under “Category.” It usually starts with a letter, then either a letter or number, and ends with a number. For example, RE8 would be the class of admission for the green card holder shown in the image below.

If you have an older green card, the category code may be under or next to Class or some other names. Its location on the card has also changed over time.

If you lost your green card and can’t find a copy, I guess you can put down “unknown” for class of admission. Hopefully USCIS will be able to process your request with other information you provided. Don’t write H-1B, EB2 or stuff like that.

Below is the official Form I-90 instructions for question #12:

12. Class of Admission – List the three letter code for the immigrant category under which you were granted permanent resident or conditional permanent resident status. This code can be found on your card, and it is typically one or two letters followed by a number.

May 9, 2011:
Update 1: What is Class of Admission on Form I-131
Update 2: Class of Admission Codes (82 page PDF, if you are interested)

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