The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a public warning to immigrants across the country, urging them to update their home address within 10 days of moving or risk missing important mail concerning their immigration status.
The warning comes amid growing confusion among migrants who assume that updating their address with the United States Postal Service (USPS) automatically notifies USCIS. The agency clarified that it operates separately and does not receive updates from USPS.
“Changing your address with the @USPS will not change your address with USCIS and USPS will not forward your mail from USCIS
You must notify USCIS within 10 Days if you have a new address,” it said in a post on X.
USCIS said migrants must update their address with both agencies to avoid delays or missed appointments.
“Please update your information with both USCIS and USPS.
“Submit your change of address today: uscis.gov/addresschange,” they stated.
What this means
Not updating your address can cause you to miss important mail, including interview notices, Requests for Evidence (RFEs), or case decisions
Those that must update their address with USCIS include all non-U.S. citizens living in the United States, except for A and G visa holders and Visa Waiver Program visitors.
How to change your address via online
- Visit uscis.gov and sign in to your online account. If you don’t have one, you can create it using the instructions on the website.
- Go to the “My Account” menu
- From your dashboard, navigate to the “My Account” tab and select “Change of Address”.
- Enter your new address: Make sure your address is accurate and uses USPS-approved formatting. You can check this using the USPS ZIP Code lookup tool.
If you have a pending, approved, or previously filed case with USCIS, you may change your address using your USCIS online account even if you initially filed your benefit request by mail.
NOTE: If you use your USCIS online account to change your address, you must enter the receipt numbers for each pending benefit request to apply the address change. Providing receipt numbers helps ensure that we update your address where needed and that you continue to receive important correspondence and benefits related to these cases from USCIS without delay.
Once completed, your address will be updated almost immediately in USCIS systems.
How to change your address by mail (Paper Form AR-11)
- Download and fill out Form AR-11
- Get the form from uscis.gov/ar-11 and complete it with your old and new address details.
- Send the form to the address specified in the instructions. This still meets the legal requirement, but USCIS recommends using the online method to avoid delays.
Note: The paper method doesn’t automatically update your address for all cases. If you use this method, you may need to call USCIS or take additional steps.
