Where you check depends on who’s processing
Most countries have outsourced part of the visa intake to private contractors (VFS Global, BLS International, TLScontact). The split is roughly:
- Contractor portal: tracks the physical journey of your application — received, sent to embassy, returned to collection center
- Government portal: tracks the actual decision — under review, approved, refused
For most cases, the contractor portal is what you’ll use day-to-day. The government decision shows up only at the end.
The major destinations
United States
-
Non-immigrant visas (B1/B2, F1, J1, etc.): ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker
- Need: case number from your DS-160 confirmation page
- States: “Application Received”, “Administrative Processing”, “Issued”, “Refused”
-
Petitions / immigrant visas (I-129, I-140, I-130, I-485): egov.uscis.gov/casestatus
- Need: 13-character receipt number (starts with EAC, WAC, MSC, LIN, IOE, NBC, SRC, etc.)
-
ESTA: esta.cbp.dhs.gov
- Need: application number + passport details
United Kingdom
- Visa application status: through your UKVCAS or VFS account (the contractor varies by country)
- Need: GWF reference number (starts with GWF…)
- Decision letter: arrives by email + with returned passport
Schengen (varies by Schengen state and country you’re applying from)
- VFS Global (most common): visa.vfsglobal.com
- TLScontact (France, some others): fr.tlscontact.com or country-specific
- BLS International (Spain, Italy, Portugal in some markets): blsinternational.com
- Need: reference number from your application receipt
The Schengen embassy itself almost never has a public status portal — you go through the contractor. For background on the underlying application, see the Schengen visa guide.
Canada
- IRCC online account: canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship
- Need: GCKey username/password or sign-in partner
- Application number (UCI): an 8-10 digit number you get when you apply
Australia
- ImmiAccount: online.immi.gov.au
- Need: ImmiAccount login (the same one you used to apply)
- Status visible: “Received”, “Initial assessment”, “Further assessment”, “Decision made”
India
- e-Visa: indianvisaonline.gov.in (eVisa vs ETA explained)
- Need: application ID + passport number
- Regular visa: through the contractor (VFS in most countries) using their reference
China
- CVASC: visaforchina.cn
- Need: application receipt number
- For US/Canada applicants, the portal is at bio.visaforchina.org
Japan
- Most countries: no public status portal. Track through your travel agency or by calling the consulate.
- Some countries (e.g., India, Philippines): VFS handles intake — track via VFS Japan portal.
Russia
- VFS Russia: vfsglobal.com/russia
- E-visa: electronic-visa.kdmid.ru
- Need: application ID + passport details
UAE
- Dubai (GDRFA): smart.gdrfad.gov.ae
- Federal (ICA): icp.gov.ae
- Need: passport number, application reference
Saudi Arabia
- Enjazit (regular visa): enjazit.com.sa
- Visit visa / Umrah: visa.mofa.gov.sa
- Hajj / Umrah platform: through Nusuk app for some countries
South Korea
- HiKorea: hikorea.go.kr
- Need: passport number + application receipt
- K-ETA (e-travel auth): k-eta.go.kr
Singapore
- ICA SAVE (for visit visas): eservices.ica.gov.sg
- Foreign domestic worker permit has a separate system through MOM
Thailand
- e-Visa: thaievisa.go.th
- Status updates by email; portal also shows current state
Vietnam
- National e-Visa portal: evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn
- Status check by application code + email + DOB
New Zealand
- Immigration NZ online: immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas
- NZeTA: nzeta.immigration.govt.nz
Brazil
- VFS Brazil (most common in 2025+): vfsglobal.com/brazil
- e-Visa: vfs-brazil-evisa.com
What numbers do I need?
A handful of formats cover 90% of applications:
| What | Format | Where you get it |
|---|---|---|
| US non-immigrant case # | AA + 10 chars | DS-160 confirmation page |
| US petition receipt # | 3 letters + 10 digits | I-797 receipt notice |
| UK GWF | GWF + 9 digits | UK visa application confirmation email |
| Schengen reference | varies by contractor | application receipt at submission |
| Canadian UCI | 8-10 digits | IRCC application confirmation |
| ImmiAccount ID | numeric | the email Australia sends after submission |
Save these in your password manager the day you apply. People lose them constantly.
How often should I check?
- First 48 hours after submission: not at all. Your application hasn’t been received by the embassy yet.
- Days 3-15: once a day at most. Most applications sit in “received” for the first 1-2 weeks.
- Beyond stated processing time: still daily, no more.
Refreshing every 30 minutes won’t make the decision faster and some portals lock your IP if you hammer them.
What the statuses actually mean
Common patterns:
- “Received” / “In process”: at the embassy, not yet looked at
- “Administrative processing” (US): officer wants more info or background check; can take weeks to months
- “Further assessment” (Australia): similar — waiting on something specific
- “Issued” / “Approved”: done, passport being returned
- “Ready for collection”: at the contractor center, go pick it up
- “Refused”: refusal letter explains the reason; passport returned — see what to do after a denial
A status that doesn’t change for 3+ weeks past the stated processing time is normal and not a sign anything is wrong. Don’t email the embassy unless you’ve hit the upper end of their advertised timeline + 2 weeks.
When to stop checking and act
Email the embassy or call only if:
- You’re past the maximum stated processing time
- Your travel date is within 7 days
- You haven’t heard anything (no status update for weeks past the timeline)
Even then, be polite and brief. Embassies do not prioritize people who chase them; they prioritize people whose applications fit the rules. The status portal is the only honest answer most of the time.
Common scams
- Sites claiming to “speed up” your visa processing for an extra fee — not real, especially for the US, UK, Canada, Australia
- “Track your visa” sites that aren’t the official portal — they harvest your data. Always check the URL ends in the actual government domain (.gov, gov.uk, gov.au, gc.ca, etc.) or the verified contractor (vfsglobal.com, tlscontact.com, blsinternational.com)
- Phone calls claiming to be from the embassy asking for additional fees — embassies do not collect fees by phone
If a portal you’re using doesn’t have HTTPS or has typos in the URL, close the tab and start over from a search at the embassy’s official site.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I check my US visa application status?
- For non-immigrant visas (B1/B2, F1, J1, etc.) use the CEAC Status Tracker at ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker with the case number from your DS-160 confirmation page. For petitions and immigrant visas, use USCIS Case Status at egov.uscis.gov/casestatus with your 13-character receipt number.
- How do I check my Schengen visa status?
- Use the contractor portal that handled your application — usually VFS Global (visa.vfsglobal.com), TLScontact, or BLS International — with the reference number on your application receipt. Schengen embassies themselves rarely publish a public status portal.
- What is the difference between VFS and the embassy portal?
- VFS (and similar contractors) track the physical journey of your file — received, sent to embassy, returned. The embassy or government portal tracks the actual decision: under review, approved, or refused.
- How often should I check my visa status?
- Not in the first 48 hours after submission, then at most once a day. Refreshing more often does not speed up the decision and some portals throttle IP addresses that hammer them.