United States is one of the few countries in the world where the opportunities for jobs and education have been always present for people the world over. It has been the center of attraction for people of all professions, looking for a brighter future and better opportunities. United States, no doubt, has made immense progress in the fields of medicine, education, technology and business support sector. For this purpose, people from different countries prefer migrating to US.
The US, like other countries has various rules and regulations pertaining to immigration, which are the basic guideline to be followed in order to complete the process of immigration with all legalities being followed.
Being a country with one of the largest immigrant population, US immigration authorities consider it more important to keep a record of all foreigners entering through the immigration process. For this reason, they have devised a law, which requires all immigrants to report their current address to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
For immigrants shifting residence, it is mandatory to report their change of address to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services within ten days of moving to the new place. There is a process to be followed in order to update the change of address with the authorities.
The form needs to be completed with information about the address change with the old address, the current address, contact details and other information regarding the applicant’s status. It is very important to understand and follow the rules made by immigration authorities. These procedures are in practice for the benefit of State and immigrants. First, it will maintain the applicant’s immigration status and secondly, it will help the State to keep track of all immigrants within the country. Maintaining one’s status is important as it will provide the person all the legal and constitutional rights that their status makes them eligible for. The benefits could include access to certain necessities of life including education, health, financial and legal support and other benefits relating to immigration.
When a person does not comply with any part of the immigration process it could lead to legal implications like fines, arrests and/or deportation in some cases. It is therefore important to follow the rules and regulations established by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Immigration Change Of Address
Immigrants have to file Form AR-11, Change of Address with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to update a change of address. A Change of Address card has to be filed for every individual member of the family. Apart from completing and filing the AR-11, the applicant has to also call the USCIS at their toll free number and get their address updated on any recently approved petition or pending application.
The Change of Address form can be filed on the US citizenship and Immigration Services department’s website or it may be mailed to the concerned service center. If filed online, the applicant will also have the opportunity immediately after that to update the address on any pending or recently approved petition or application. If the application is mailed, the applicant still has to call and update address on any pending or recently approved application.
Who Has to File the AR-11?
With a few exceptions, all non-American citizens have to file the AR-11 to notify an address change within 10 days of moving to the new address.
People exempt from notifying an address change are:
- ’A’ visa holders – diplomats
- ’G’ visa holders – an international organization’s official government representatives
- Certain non-immigrants in the US for less than 30 days without a visa.
Do US Citizens Have to Notify a Change of Address?
Only those US citizens who have any application pending with the USCIS need to update an address change. However, they need nor file form AR-11; it is enough if they have the address updated online or by calling the USCIS toll free number.
