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No More Printed Welcome: USCIS Quietly Drops Its Green Card Guidebook
New permanent residents say their green cards are arriving without the decades-old “Welcome to the United States” booklet. USCIS says nothing has changed: the information, it insists, was “readily available online” all along.
For years, the arrival of a green card in an immigrant’s mailbox came with a much coveted companion: a slim, government-printed booklet titled Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants. It explained how to get a Social Security number, find a job, register a child for school, and, eventually, apply for citizenship. Now, that booklet appears to be disappearing; not through any formal announcement, but through its simple absence.
In recent weeks, numerous new permanent residents have reported on Reddit that their green cards arrived without the guide. When Newsweek asked U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) about the change, the agency did not confirm a policy shift outright. Instead, it said the material was “readily available online” in its Citizenship Resource Center.
As always, our EB-1A experts have dived right into the heart of the matter. Tune in to know what has happened to the booklet that was supposed to accompany your new found green card.
What the guide actually contains
The publication, catalogued by USCIS as Form M-618, is more than a pamphlet. It walks new permanent residents through practical first steps in the country, including:
- opening a bank account,
- accessing health care,
- managing personal finances, and
- enrolling children in school
It also contains a plain-language summary of legal obligations:
- paying taxes,
- obeying federal,
- state and local law,
- carrying proof of immigration status, and
- notifying USCIS of any change of address.
It also used to provide additional useful materials:
- flagging the circumstances that can jeopardize a person’s status,
- offering guidance on avoiding immigration fraud and finding authorized legal help, and
- introduces the naturalization pathway, including the English and civics testing requirements.
A closing section points newcomers toward federal agencies and community organizations that assist with resettlement.
A cost-cutting move, not a policy change
Douglas S. Pierce, a former USCIS supervisor who retired in late 2025, told Newsweek that the shift fits a longer pattern at the agency of pushing printed materials online to save money on printing, postage and warehousing. According to Pierce, the M-617 welcome packet once handed out at naturalization ceremonies for newly minted citizens has followed the same trajectory: it still exists, but only as a downloadable file on the USCIS website, not as a physical handout.
The change lines up with a broader digitization push inside the Department of Homeland Security. In August 2026, DHS introduced a rule permitting USCIS to require electronic filing of forms that have been available online for at least 180 days. USCIS had already moved much of its H-1B visa process online, having launched organizational accounts and electronic filing for related petitions in 2024.
No more ‘feel good’ booklet with your U.S. green card
Officials and outlets covering the story have been careful to draw a distinction: the guide is informational, not a legal requirement. A green card holder whose card arrives without the booklet has not lost any rights, and the card itself remains fully valid. But immigration observers note that the missing booklet still matters in practice, because not every new resident has reliable internet access, English fluency, or the know-how to locate a PDF buried inside a government resource center.
Coverage of the change has also been careful to note what it is not. There is no evidence connecting the disappearing booklet to the Trump administration’s wider immigration enforcement agenda. Those enforcement changes govern who is allowed to stay; the guide’s move online governs only how already-approved permanent residents receive basic settlement information.
Where to find the Guide now
For anyone who received a green card without the booklet, the full text of Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants remains posted on USCIS’s official site, along with translated versions in multiple languages through public and library resource guides. USCIS has not announced any plan to discontinue the publication itself; only, it appears, the practice of mailing a paper copy with every new card.
At GCEB1, our EB-1A consultants are constantly staying updated on all the ins and outs of the U.S. green card. If you need personalized EB-1A mentorship, you can directly get in touch with us. We wish you a safe and stress-free immigration journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Has USCIS officially confirmed it stopped mailing the guide?
Not in a formal announcement. USCIS has not declared the booklet discontinued; it told Newsweek only that the information is available online, without directly addressing why physical copies appear to have stopped going out.
2. Does a green card without the booklet mean something went wrong with my application?
No. The guide is a separate informational item, not part of the green card itself. Its absence does not affect the validity of your Permanent Resident Card or your legal status.
3. Where can I read the guide online?
It is posted on the USCIS website under its Citizenship Resource Center, as Form M-618, and is also mirrored by several public library and university immigration-resource guides in multiple languages.
4. What topics does the guide cover?
Getting a Social Security number, finding work and housing, health care access, managing money, enrolling children in school, permanent residents’ legal duties, avoiding fraud, and the path to naturalization.
5. Is this related to stricter immigration enforcement under the current administration?
Reporting on the change found no evidence linking it to enforcement policy. It appears to be part of a longer-running effort to move USCIS materials online to cut printing and mailing costs.
6. Has USCIS made similar changes to other printed materials?
Yes. A former USCIS supervisor told Newsweek that welcome packets once distributed at naturalization ceremonies for new citizens (Form M-617) have also moved to an online-only format.
7. Do I need to do anything if my green card arrived without the guide?
No action is required. You can download the guide from USCIS’s website if you want a copy, but permanent resident status and rights are unaffected either way.
8. Is the guide available in languages other than English?
Yes. Translated versions are distributed through USCIS and referenced by public library immigration-resource guides that compile federal settlement materials for newcomers.
9. Is this part of a wider shift in how USCIS processes green cards and visas?
It fits a broader digitization trend. USCIS has also moved much of the H-1B petition process online and, as of August 2026, can require electronic filing for forms that have long been available for online submission.
Sources
- Newsweek, “USCIS Stops Sending ‘Welcome to America’ Green Card Pack,” Sept. 11, 2026
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants (Form M-618), uscis.gov
- Great Andhra, “USCIS Stops Sending ‘Welcome to America’ Guide With Green Cards,” Sept. 12, 2026
- Aman Shanti News, “No ‘Welcome to the United States’ Guide for New Green Card Recipients? USCIS Says Information Available Online”
- Ramapo Catskill Library System, Immigration and Naturalization resource guide, guides.rcls.org
