How to Check Someone’s Immigration Status: UK, Ireland, US

You might need to check someone’s immigration status for work, housing, or family reasons. The official UK method uses a share code and date of birth on GOV.UK, while Ireland publishes visa decisions each Tuesday and the US provides an ICE detainee locator. This guide compares these systems so you can navigate them without guesswork.

Official UK service: GOV.UK share code portal · Irish visa decisions: Published every Tuesday · Share code required: Yes, for UK checks · US ICE detainee locator: Available online

Four official portals, each with distinct requirements: the UK relies on a time‑limited share code, Ireland on a weekly visa‑decision list, and the US on a detention‑specific locator.

How to check someone’s immigration status?

Official UK method using share code

• You need the person’s share code and date of birth to use the GOV.UK check service (GOV.UK — official immigration check service).
• The person whose status is being checked gives you the share code — they can generate it from their UKVI account (GOV.UK — eVisa and share code guidance).
• A share code expires after 90 days, but you can use it multiple times before it does (GOV.UK — eVisa share code details).

Checking through government portals

Besides the UK, both Ireland and the US run their own online portals. The Irish Immigration Service Delivery website allows you to search for a visa decision using the application number (Irish Immigration Service Delivery). In the US, the ICE detainee locator requires an Alien Number or the person’s name and country of birth (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Self‑check vs third‑party check

If you are checking your own status, the UK lets you view your eVisa and generate a share code directly (GOV.UK — eVisa portal). For a third‑party check (e.g. employer, landlord), you rely on the share code the person gives you. The University of York recommends that you select the correct purpose when generating the code — right to work, right to rent, or right to study — because choosing the wrong one may limit what the checker sees (University of York — immigration status guidance).

The implication: a share code is a snapshot, not a permanent record, so timing matters as much as the code itself.

Can you check immigration status online?

Online portals for UK, Ireland, and US

• UK: The GOV.UK service is fully online — you only need the share code and date of birth (GOV.UK).
• Ireland: The Irish Immigration website lists visa decisions online, updated every Tuesday (Irish Immigration Service Delivery).
• US: The ICE detainee locator is an online tool for finding individuals in detention (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Information required for online check

Each portal asks for specific data. UK: share code + date of birth. Ireland: visa application number (for recent decisions). US: Alien Number, or name and country of birth. Passport number alone is not accepted by any of these official systems (GOV.UK; ICE Locator).

The pattern: the more specific the identifier, the faster the result. Generic queries — like just a name — work only for ICE detention searches.

How to check immigration status in Ireland?

Irish visa decision publication

• The Irish Immigration Service Delivery website publishes visa decisions every Tuesday (Irish Immigration Service Delivery).
• You can search by visa application number — no share code system exists in Ireland (Irish Immigration Service Delivery).
• If the decision is not listed, it may still be under processing; the service does not provide a live case tracker for applicants.

Immigration Service Delivery website

The website (irishimmigration.ie) is the sole official channel for visa status checks. It covers work permits, study visas, and residence permissions. No alternative system (like a share code) is used.

The implication: for anyone waiting on an Irish visa, the Tuesday update is the key moment. Checking outside that window will not return new information.

Can I check my visa status by passport number?

Limitations of passport number checking

• Some countries allow you to check visa status with a passport number — for example, the US visa application status through the CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center) portal (U.S. Department of State — CEAC).
• However, this only works for visa applications submitted through that portal; it does not cover overall immigration status, detention, or entry permissions.
• The UK, Ireland, and the US ICE system do not accept passport number alone for a full immigration check.

When passport number is used

Passport numbers are most commonly matched with pending visa applications (e.g., US visa status at embassies). For anyone asking “Can I look up someone’s immigration status with just a passport number?” — the answer is usually no, unless the country has a dedicated visa-application tracker that uses the passport number as a key.

The catch: even where passport‑number checks exist, they only reveal one slice of a person’s immigration picture — never the full record.

How to locate someone being detained by ICE?

ICE detainee locator tool

• ICE operates an online detainee locator at locator.ice.gov.
• You can search by Alien Number (A‑Number) or by the detainee’s name, country of birth, and date of birth.
• The tool shows the facility where the person is held and their current custody status.

Information needed to find a detainee

For the most reliable result, you need the Alien Number. If you don’t have it, the name + country of birth search may work but can produce multiple matches. The locator covers only civil immigration detention, not criminal custody.

Use this service to check someone’s immigration status if you have their ‘share code’.

GOV.UK — official immigration check service

You must use one of the prescribed Home Office methods: an online check using a share code, a digital check via an Identity Service Provider, or a manual check.

DavidsonMorris — UK immigration solicitors

For UK employers and landlords, relying on an expired share code means the check will show no valid status — always request a fresh code if the old one is over 90 days. For anyone checking immigration status, the safest method remains the official government portal; anything else risks incomplete or incorrect information.

Employers and landlords can verify a person’s right to work or rent through the UK immigration status share code system without physical documents.

Frequently asked questions