How to Check Your Visa Status

Co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD

Last Updated: October 2, 2020 References

The process for checking your visa application will depend on which country you are intending to visit. If you have applied for a U.S. visa, then you can check your status online. You will visit the appropriate website and enter personal identification information. However, if you have applied for a U.K. visa, then you can check the status by calling or sending an email to the appropriate office.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Checking Your U.S. Visa Status

1
Visit the website. You can check your visa status by visiting the U.S. Department of State’s Consular Electronic Application Center website.^{[1]
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Research source} Once there, you will be prompted to provide various information.
- Once you visit the website, you should save it as a bookmark so that you can find it again easily.
2
Select your Visa Application Type. There are two choices: “Immigrant Visa (IV)” and “Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV).” Select the one that applies to you from the drop-down box.

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3
Select your interview location. If you applied for a “nonimmigrant visa,” then you will need to select your location where you interviewed. The dropdown box will contain a list of cities around the globe. They are listed by country first, and then city. For example: “BELARUS, MINSK.” Select the city where you applied for your U.S. visa.^{[2]
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4
Enter your Immigration Visa Case Number. When you applied for a visa, the embassy or consulate should have given you an Immigrant Visa Case Number or an Application ID. It may also be your “confirmation number.” You should enter it in the box.
- The number might be something like “AA0020AKAX” or “2012118 345 0001.”^{[3]
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5
Enter a code. The CEAC website also requires that you enter a CAPTCHA code so that they know you are not a spam bot. The code will differ each time you visit the screen, but it is usually a mix of letters and numbers.^{[4]
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- If you can’t read the CAPTCHA code, then you click on an icon that will speak the code to you.
- After entering the code, click “Submit.”
6
Call instead. If you don’t want the hassle of trying to find out your visa status online, then you can call (603) 334-0700. Provide your name and ask for an update on your case.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Checking Your Canadian Visa Status

1
Visit the website. You can check the status online if you applied for a tourist, business, super, or transit visa. Visit the Citizen and Immigration Canada website.^{[5]
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Research source} It is available in both the English language and in French.
- Sign into your account. If you applied for your visa online, then click on the “Sign in to your account” button. You can then sign in using one of two different methods. Choose the one you used when applying for your visa:
- Sign in Partner (SecureKey Concierge), which uses your online banking information to identify your application
- GCKey, which is the Government of Canada credential
2
Link a paper application. You might have applied for your visa using a paper application. In order to check the status, you can link your application to an online account. Once you create the link, you can view the status of your application. You can also receive emails about the status of your application.
- Click on the “Link your paper application to your online account” button to get started.^{[6]
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3
Create an account to link your paper application. You can create an account using either Sign in Partner or GCKey. You will need a copy of your application in your hand. Once you create an online account, you will stop receiving messages by mail, so don’t create an account if you still want to receive mail messages.^{[7]
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- You can create an online account by signing in with your bank account information, if you have a bank account with one of the sign-in partners, such as RBC Royal Bank or Scotiabank.
- To create a GCKey account, you will need to create a username and a password. Your username must have between eight and sixteen characters. It may have up to seven digits but no special characters (such as # or @).
- Your password must be between eight and sixteen characters. It must also:
  - have one upper case letter
  - have one lower case letter
  - have one digit
  - may not have three or more consecutive characters from your username

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Checking Your U.K. Visa Status

1
Call or email the office. If you want particular information about your visa, then you can call the U.K. Visas and Immigration office from outside the U.K. The number you call will depend on where you are calling from. Visit their website and then select your country from the drop-down box.
- Based on your location, you will be given links: “Call us” and “Email form.”
- If you call, you will be charged per minute for your call. You can pay with MasterCard/Visa credit and debit cards. Have your card handy.
- You can use the email form to send an email to the office. Provide your name, email address, date of birth, and your reference number (called the “GWF”) for a visa check.
2
Visit the website to get an estimate. You can also get an estimate of how long it takes to approve your visa request. If you applied for a visa from outside the U.K., then visit their Visa processing website. You can get an estimate of visa processing times by clicking on the green “Start now” button.^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source
Official UK government website
Official website for the public sector of the UK government
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3
Click on the location where you applied. A drop-down box will appear. Click in the box to find the city where you applied for your U.K. visa. The cities are listed in alphabetical order, with the city name first. For example, “Accra, Ghana.”^{[9]
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- If you applied in the United States, then click “United States.” There is no city option for the U.S.
4
Select your visa category. There will be several options in the drop-down box, such as “Show All” or “Points Based Systems Visas.” The precise options will differ depending on the country you are applying from.
- Select your option and then click on the green “Next step” button.
5
Receive an estimate of processing times. Based on your information, you will receive a list of estimated processing times. For example, a Business Visit visa from the U.S. has the following processing times:
- 6% are processed within two days
- 29% are processed within three days
- 73% are processed within five days
- 99% are processed within 10 days
- 100% are processed within 15 days