Guide to Form G-845

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes several benefits available to immigrants, depending on their immigration status. These benefits include getting a driver’s license, employment authorization, housing assistance, receiving an educational grant, unemployment insurance, and the list goes on. 

In order to receive these benefits, immigrants have to apply through a registered benefit agency. As part of the process, these benefit agencies have to verify the applicant’s immigration status to ensure they are indeed eligible for the benefit they are applying for. This is where the Form G-845 comes in. 

Below we’ll take a quick look at exactly how the Form G-845 works and how it must be completed to ensure a proper verification response.  

What is Form G-845?

The Form G-845 is a form used to request verification from the USCIS of a person’s immigration status. The Form G-845 Supplement is used to request more detailed information on the person’s status, citizenship or sponsorship. 

Usually, this information is obtained through the SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement) program’s Verification Information System (VIS). The SAVE program is a verification service provided by the USCIS. This system is designed to help federal, state and local benefit-granting government agencies determine a benefit applicant’s immigration status or naturalized or derived citizenship. This often determines the benefit applicant’s eligibility for a benefit. 

If the information is not available on SAVE or SAVE instructs to “Institute Additional Verification”, the Form G-845 will be filed. 

Who Needs Form G-845?

Form G-845 is used by benefit or license providing agencies if they need to verify an applicant’s immigration status. 

These agencies must be registered with SAVE (i.e. they have executed a Memorandum of Agreement with the USCIS SAVE Program) in order to be able to use this form. 

How to Complete Form G-845

You can download the Form G-845 for free here. 

Detailed instructions on how to complete the Form G-845 can be found here. Below we will provide a brief overview to help you in this process. 

Important things to remember:

• You need to complete a separate Form G-845 for each applicant, even if it is a family applying. In such a case a Form G-845 must be submitted for each family member.
• You must type or print legibly.
• The form must be filled in with black ink.
• If you need additional space for one of the items, you can use a separate sheet of paper to complete the item. Simply put the applicant’s first name, last name, and Case Verification Number at the top of each sheet. Also make sure you indicate the item number, part number and page number the information on the sheet relates to.
• If you are completing the form manually, the applicant’s first and last name and their Case Verification Number must appear at the top of each page. 

Copies of the following documents must also accompany the Form G-845:

• Applicant’s most recently issued immigration documents
• Any relevant documents that relate to the applicant’s admission or immigration status. 

The copies must be made from the original document and must be legible. Copies of the front and back of these documents must be included. 

Now let’s take a look at the specific sections of the Form G-845.

Part 1

Only the Registered Agency must complete Part 1. Part 1 of the Form G-845 requires information about the Registered Agency and the applicant. All the items in Part 1 must be completed for the Form G-845 to be processed. 

The following information about the Registered Agency will be required: 

• The Registered Agency’s name and mailing address with the ZIP Code.
• The mailing address of the Registered Agency’s assigned Status Verification Office. If you don’t know this information, you can look it up here.
• Registered Agency case number (if applicable) and details of the submitting agent. 

The following information about the applicant will be required:

• Alien Registration Number (A-Number)
• Form I-94 Number
• Any other immigration numbers, for example, the applicant’s foreign passport number or Certificate of Citizenship document number
• First name, last name, and middle name as it appears on their immigration documentation
• Applicant’s date of birth
• If the SAVE online system was used to initiate the query, the 15-digit case verification number
• U.S. Social Security Number if they have one
• SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) Number
• Applicant’s citizenship or nationality
• List of documents attached (you can just tick this off of the list provided if the document is included)
• The benefit the applicant is applying for (elect the relevant benefit from the list)

You can also include any additional comments in the space provided. 

Parts 2 and 3

Part 2 of the form is reserved for the USCIS response and Part 3 is reserved for USCIS comment. Only the USCIS should complete these sections. 

It is crucial to follow the instructions carefully. Otherwise, the USCIS will return the form without a response and you will lose out on the benefits. If the Form G-845 is not completely filled out or any of the required additional documents (such as the most recent immigration documents) are not included, you will also receive a no verification response. 

Where to File Form G-845

Before you can file a Form G-845, you will need to get approval. You can get this by emailing the SAVE program at saveregistration@uscis.dhs.gov.

Once you have approval you can use the below guidelines and mailing addresses to file your Form G-845 and Form G-845 Supplementals:

Form G-845 Filing Fee

The Form G-845 does not have a filing fee.

Conclusion

Immigrants in the United States have access to various benefits such as getting a driver’s license or applying for housing assistance. Moving to the U.S. is a big step that brings about many changes. You don’t want to lose out on benefits that make the move smoother. 

Form G-845 is an essential part of the benefits application process. Even though you don’t have control over the Form G-845, make sure you provide your Registered Agency with the correct information. This will prevent any unnecessary delays in your benefits application process and ensure your application for benefits has the best chance of success!

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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