Updated Change of Address Procedures for Noncitizens in the U.S.
All noncitizens in the U.S. must report a change of address to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within 10 days of moving. This requirement does not nonimmigrants who are in the U.S. in A or G status, nor does it apply to visa waiver visitors. Note that Permanent Residents (green card holders) are subject to the change of address requirements.
Note that changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will not change your address with USCIS. Furthermore, USPS will not forward mail from USCIS. Thus, to ensure compliance with the law and to ensure you don’t miss any correspondence regarding any pending matters with USCIS, it is important to timely file change of address notices with both the USPS and USCIS.
The easiest way to change your address with USCIS is through their new online change of address tool called E-COA. You can access E-COA through your existing USCIS online account, or if you haven’t yet created one, do so at myaccount.uscis.gov. Once you access E-COA, you’ll enter your last name, date of birth, and new physical and mailing addresses. If you have any pending applications or petitions, you should also enter those USCIS receipt numbers.
If you don’t want to create a myUSCIS account, you can change your address with USCIS using a Form AR-11, which can be found here. You download the form, complete it, and mail it to USCIS. It is also possible to submit the AR-11 online, outside of a myUSCIS account, by selecting the “File Online” button you will find here. As always, Romy Kapoor and Your Immigration Lawyers welcome your questions and comments!
