How do you create a USCIS online account in the United States in 2026?

Q: How do you create a USCIS online account in the United States in 2026?

Create a personal USCIS online account with your own email, a strong password, and two-factor verification by text, email, or authenticator app. Save the backup code USCIS shows at signup. Use the account to file eligible forms, pay fees, upload evidence, and read case notices. Do not share one account across a family; each applicant or representative needs the correct account type.

Most USCIS paper filings now have an online twin. The account is your case mailbox, payment desk, and upload folder in one login.

How do you create the account?

Start on the USCIS sign-up page with a personal email you will keep for years. Confirm the email link, accept the terms, and set a password that meets USCIS rules. Choose how you receive one-time verification codes: US mobile text, email, or an authenticator app. Save the two-step backup code USCIS displays; losing every MFA method can lock you out of pending filings.

Select whether you are an applicant, petitioner, or requestor, or a legal representative. Families should not share one login. Login.gov can appear as a sign-in option on some USCIS screens, but account creation still follows USCIS instructions: Set up Login.gov.

Account typePersonal myUSCIS

SecurityPassword + one-time code

Use forFile, pay, track, upload

Residency pathway6.3/10

What should you do inside the account after arrival?

File eligible forms such as work authorization when your category allows: Apply for work authorization. Keep your mailing and physical address current so biometrics and decision notices reach you: Update address with USCIS and Attend a biometrics appointment. Broader filing paths sit in Apply for a residence permit and Change status of residence.

Newcomer order of operations: Paperwork after moving.

Common misconceptions

Assuming a shared household email account is fine fails when notices mix cases.

Assuming paper receipts make the online account optional also fails for forms that only complete online.

Summary

Create one personal USCIS account, lock down MFA and the backup code, then use it as your immigration filing desk. Treat it as critical infrastructure, not a one-time signup.

Sources

Was this helpful?

Next in Country To Live: Browse rankings

How do you create a USCIS online account in the United States in 2026?

How do you create the account?

What should you do inside the account after arrival?

Common misconceptions

Summary

Sources

Related questions