Report a Change of Address to USCIS
Updated on 10/21/2023
If you have moved and therefore have changed your address, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is not the only organization that you should inform about your new home. Updating your address with the USCIS can be especially important if you submitted an immigration-related application or petition to USCIS prior to changing houses. Failure to update address to USCIS might well delay your application or petition even result a denial if USCIS mailed you a Request for Evidence to your old address and you missed its deadline to respond.
Moreover, all noncitizens are required by law to report their change in residence within 10 days of the move, so it is crucial that you avoid filing a late change of address. Even if you are a green card holder that has an approved application with the USCIS, it is prudent to keep them informed in case they need to contact you at a later date.
The USCIS offers several ways to report a change of address. You should take one of them based on your own situation.
1. Methods of reporting a change of address to USCIS
Online, through USCIS’s official website
The USCIS allows most persons to report their change of address online. Honestly, it is the most convenient and safest way to report a change of address to USCIS. Although there are certain categories, such as VAWA abuse survivor applicants, that require a paper submission, the majority of people can submit their change in residence online. Conveniently, people who have established accounts with USCIS.gov can change their address on their myUSCIS page.
By mail
By phone
Another way to inform the USCIS about a change of address is by calling them at 1-800-375-5283. However, noncitizens are required to follow the call up with a mailed paper Form AR-11 or an online change of address submission.
2. Useful tips for reporting a change of address to USCIS
- If you have two or more applications or petitions pending with USCIS, you must report the change of address to USCIS for each application or petition.
- For any petition, the petitioner rather than the beneficiary should report the change of address to USCIS. For example, if you filed an I-130 immigrant petition for your spouse, you are the petitioner and should report your new address to USCIS. It is unnecessary to report the change of address of the beneficiary to USCIS.
- For any application, the applicant should report the change of address to USCIS. For example, if you filed an I-485 adjustment of status application, you are the applicant and should report your new address to USCIS.
- If you have non-citizen dependents or other family members, you’ll need to report a separate address-change to USCIS for each member of your household.
- It is advisable to save a copy of each change of address reporting record. If you’re sending a paper copy of Form AR-11, it is highly recommended to use USPS priority mail or certified mail with tracking number.
3. Telling USPS is not the same as telling USCIS
The United States Postal Service also offers change of address cards so that your mail can be forwarded to you after you move. However, the USPS does not pass this information on to other organizations, such as the USCIS.
Therefore, you can doubly ensure that you receive your mail about your immigration process and status by informing both the post office and the USCIS that you have moved.
4. I-864 sponsor’s notice of change of address
If you have ever sponsored green card for any foreign national or being a joint sponsor for any immigrant petition, and your sponsorship responsibility has not been duly released, you are obligated to report the change of address to USCIS within 30 days of the change.
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