In the midst of packing and unpacking boxes while moving to a new home, noncitizens in the U.S. have one more important thing to do: United States immigration laws require noncitizens in the United States to notify U.S. Citizenship and Immigration of a new address within ten days of moving. If you have a pending case with USCIS, you need to update your address for that case as well to be sure to receive correspondence.
Informing USCIS of a new address is simple. If you have a pending case and have a myUSCIS account, you can update your address in your account at https://myaccount.uscis.gov/. Using this option takes care of the general address notification requirement and keeps your address current for the pending case.
If you do not have a case pending at USCIS, you can use the online change of address form AR-11, which is available at https://www.uscis.gov/ar-11.
One other change of address notification requirement is for U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have sponsored a family member to immigrate and signed the I-864 Affidavit of Support to guarantee financial support. The primary sponsor and any co-sponsor need to submit a paper notification by mail. The Form I-865, Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address, is available for free at the USCIS website, https://www.uscis.gov/i-865. Be sure to check the filing address, as USCIS changes the filing locations from time to time.
These change of address notifications are simple and quick to do. Be sure to update your address when you move to ensure you receive updates for pending cases and to keep your address current with USCIS. Failing to inform USCIS of a new address could have negative consequences if you later need to apply for a benefit, such as sponsoring a relative for a green card or applying for naturalization to become a U.S. Citizen.