Five Answers to Common Questions on Changing Your Address
If you need to change your address with USCIS, the following five questions and answers should help you navigate the process a little more easily:
1. How soon after my move should I notify USCIS of my new address?
Most non U.S. citizens must notify USCIS of a new address within 10 days of moving. Exceptions include:
- Diplomats (visa status A),
- Official government representatives to an international organization (visa status G), and
- Certain nonimmigrants who do not possess a visa and who are in the U.S. for fewer than 30 days.
2. How do I change my address with USCIS?
You can complete Form AR-11 and change your address on any pending application or petition by using our Online Change of Address service. If you do not use our online service, you must submit Form AR-11 by mail and change your address on any pending applications and/or petitions by calling our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. For more detailed information, visit our website.
3. Is changing my address with the post office enough?
No. If you are required to change your address with USCIS, but only change your address with the post office, you may not receive important notices about your case. In addition, failure to notify USCIS directly of your change of address may render you in violation of the applicable immigration laws.
4. Do I have to submit a change of address for every pending application or petition?
Yes. To ensure that all USCIS correspondence is sent to your current address, you must submit a change of address for every pending application and/or petition that you have with USCIS. You can do so online or by calling our National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
5. Is calling the National Customer Service Center to update my address on pending applications and/or petitions enough?
If you are a non-U.S. citizen (and you do not belong to one of the three excepted groups listed in the answer to question 2), the answer is "no." You must also submit Form AR-11, either online or by mail.
As already mentioned in the answer to question 3, you can update your address on pending applications and/or petitions either online or by calling the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
If you are a U.S. Citizen who previously submitted a Form I-864 that is still in force and you use the National Customer Service Center to update your address on an application or petition pending with USCIS, you must also complete a Form I-865 to satisfy your obligations under the applicable sponsorship regulations.
posted by USCIS Blog Team @ 9:52 AM
31 Comments
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31 Comments:
Hi, Thank you for clarifying on the AR-11 requirements. You guys are doing a great job.
I would like to request that the Pending Employment base i-485 report be updated. The report was last updated in May. A newer report will be very useful for the employment based immigrant community
Thanks so much for the information!
Thanks for the info. I used the online system and it was really simple and easy to use.
USCIS Blog Team:
Please Convey the message to the TOP Management inside USCIS.
Message " Please Let Approved I-140 Applicants file for Change of Status(AOS)I-485 & EAD. Atleast they can wait until their number is arrived little peacefully"
A post in FEDERAL REGISTER would allow that rule and would help thousands of people.
The measure to Tighten the I-140 is a good measure , but allowing approved I-140 applicant ( India /china) to file for I-485 is equally important irrespective of priority dates.
Priority dates are required to Green Card (Physical) but AOS does not need that.
Kindly do the needful.
hi,
i am a green card holder effective january, 2010. i will like to know how long i have to wait before i can bring my spouse to live with us, as i'm living here alone with my two children.
Please help the EB category, especially EB-3 India and China. They will never get spillover, they will take forever to get approved...
Thanks for the details on requirements for change of address. This post has come at a time when I have encountered a issue during this process.
Me & my spouse moved between states during Oct last year and had our I-485 cases pending. We went through the online process of filing the AR-11 form and updating our case during the COA process within the required 10 days of moving. However, the USCIS system only reflected the change of address for one of us. As a result, when our cases went to the IO for processing (on being current) after couple of months, we were issued an RFE on this account. Although, I had the confirmation record of the previous attempt, I found out via infopass that my address was not changed in the system and had to redo the process thereby causing delay in getting our AOS cases approved.
So, when I look back at the event and read through the guidelines posted above I wonder is this process really needed? How does the administration determine if the address was indeed changed within 10 days of move? If this is just an old process being followed, is it time to review this or drop it altogether?
This is the exact information I was looking for. I am in the process of changing my address at the moment and this was very helpful.
Are we trying to be a police state like USSR was? If the paperwork was processed properly the first time around and people in EB categories are not left out there for years and years this sort of antiquated system may not be necessary. It is puzzling USCIS staff is wasting time on these issues. Applicants and petitioners have already provided more than enough info. Some petiotioners are even going belly up with this distraction. Many of EB category applicants documents such as drivers license etc are expiring for no mistake of theirs. Shortly people will also expire. Oh! they are already buried in years of paperwork!!! People - please do something soon and give us the good news. Thanks.
Thanks so much for the information! I thing i will do it by calling the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
I was searching Google for this information, and you website answered my questions. Very informative, great post.
The publication recognizes the diversity of the private sector and includes resources for academia, nonprofits, NGOs, and businesses large and small. DHS has repeatedly stated the important role played by these actors in our nation’s homeland security and has worked to strengthen partnerships and increase engagement at the local, state, and federal levels. Earlier this year, DHS released the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review report to Congress outlining an enterprise approach to homeland security in which multiple partners including the private sector share roles and responsibilities in upholding the public safety and well-being of the United States.
Oh, thanks for posting this. I'm going to change my address and had no idea where to start. This post was so useful.
Good thing that I found this post. I was scratching my head on how to change my address and this had help me alot.
Really appreciate this note. Thanks.
Very useful post. Thank you for sharing!
My catagory is I 130. After post decession my documents were sent to my address. document was not delivered due to the address problem and it was returned. Now my case is again in intial review. how long it may take to process the case to be complete.
Thank you for guidance and information you provide.
Applicants and petitioners have already provided more than enough info, I liked your blog it’s very interesting, your information had helped me very much, Please keep on posting the related information regarding this Article.
Thanx for making it so simple to understand.
Just wanted to say Thank You for providing information necessary to make this immigration transition easier. My spouse (fiancee) now spouse, just moved over after 8 months of waiting for paper work to get approved. We are well on our way and thank goodness for the internet to help us along our path. We seem to get mis-directed often by different sites, employees, etc. It's nice to see we can come here for the information we need.
Little Giant, how do you say that it's simple? while it's too complicated?
This article is useful for me. Thank you very much.
WHEN COMPLETING THE FORM AR-11 ONLINE YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR RECEIPT NUMBER, BOTH NEW AND OLD ADDRESS, AS WELL AS THE LAST DATE AND PORT OF ENTRY INTO THE U.S.
ONCE THE ADDRESS CHANGE IS FILED WITH USCIS, REMEMBER TO REGISTER YOUR NAME & NEW ADDRESS WITH THE LOCAL POST OFFICE. IF YOUR NAME IS NOT PROPERLY REGISTERED, THE US POSTAL SERVICE MAY NOT DELIVER OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT MAIL TO YOU.
I was looking information about changing address with USCIS.I appreciate.
Thank you! This is just the info we needed.
Thanks for the change of address info. This needs to be in a little bit more prominent place, but it is appreciated.
Hi. What do you mean under "pending case" ("pending application", "pending petition")? If I have a Green Card (issued in 2010) and which requires removing of conditions, is my case pending?
Hi! What if I made а mistake in my form AR-11 ( date of birth is not correct) 1 year ago, but found this out just now? What should I do? To file a new form online? My address is still the same...
Thank you.
i have a pending i485 and I changed my address online on july 10th and up to now i havent received any notice from uscis,how do i confirm whether my address was changed in the system,JB
Very appreciate your clear explanation. This solved my problem.
Very well put and written, kudos!
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