Does USCIS use Mailing Address or Permanent Address for Biometrics/Interview/Oath?

[TaraAhmed786 0]

OK here is my question. We have always used my parents' address in FL as our Permanent Address. And with all our forms we had always used that and received all USCIS correspondence to it. We have moved from FL to SC to LA to west coast of FL, to NYC... so now we are in NYC due to work, and we included that information on our N400 form. We listed our Permanent Address first on the Address List in the N400 and included time TO PRESENT. And listed our NYC address as our Mailing Address, since I figured Permanent Address trumps Mailing. But guess I was wrong because we received the NOA for the N400 packet on Tuesday and it was sent here to NYC! Good thing we were home, we are getting ready to leave out of the country for 20 days at the end of next month! SO now we are confused. We never changed our address, why did they mail the NOA here? And since they did, does this mean that they will issue us a Biometrics Appt , Interview Appt, and Oath Appt up here in NYC? or will they use the field office/ASC in Florida near our Permanent Address the one we have always used? Its so confusing. And frustrating because we are worried they will send us correspondence regarding the interview here to the NYC address, and we have no family or room mates or anyone here to let us know if we get the mail while we will be overseas. We have considered have mail temporarily forwarded for the time we will be gone, but my husband is concerned that it will not get forwarded properly (We have had this problem with USPS not forwarding, and we get the mail at the wrong address). So I just wanted to know what to expect. Will we be given our appts in relation to the mailing address or permanent address? Thanks for any help.

~Tara and Zaheer

[suzeegb 0]

the keywords here are "mailing address" as in they MAIL your mail to you at that address. If you wanted the mail to go to your Florida address then you need to list that as your mailing address.

As for where you have your biometrics done I will let someone else jump in there as I have no idea - at a guess I would say against the Florida address as you listed that as where you live right?

Edited June 22, 2013 by suzeegb

[TaraAhmed786 0]

Yes, I understand the reason they sent it to me at the mailing address. I put this address in NYC as the mailing address because I didn't want to have any questions as to why we live here but dont receive mail here. But in the NOA that we received it says "Our records indicate your personal information is as follows: Date of Birth - (DOB) and Address Where You Live - (Our address in FL is listed here)." So it makes me wonder that if they have our permanent address listed as where we live, is that where we will be doing biometrics? Because I mean, people use all different addresses for mail: work, school, P.O. Boxes... doesn't mean they live there. Any idea?

[NickD 203]

With a kid in college or the military, our home was their permanent address. But once my stepdaughter moved and got a job, that was her permanent address. That's when she had to renew her drivers' license and all that other stuff. If you moved out of your parents home, have a job, buying a home or leasing an apartment, that is your permanent address.

Also filing for US citizenship is a commitment, so why are you traveling, should be parked by your mail box. If you have your ten year green card, pick a time when you can do that.

[TaraAhmed786 0]

we have to go to a wedding. and my mother in law is sick, has been for a while. We couldn't go when she first got sick because he didn't want to travel while his 10 yr green card was in process. We just got it last month. So we booked the trip, and we calculated when we would be able to apply for his citizenship. I am not worried about it because we can always reschedule the interview if we need to, so its not an issue. But I just wondered where they would be doing the appt.

[Autumnal 25]

NickD, your question of why a LPR is going out of the country is a little rude. We don't all have the luxury of being "parked by our mailboxes." People go on vacation, visit family, need to travel abroad, have work obligations, and dozens of other reasons to be away from home. It's holiday season and Americans still get a measly 10 to 20 days of vacation time in many cases. We submit the applications when we have the time, funds, and ability.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

TaraAhmed786,

Why not make an infopass appointment at the local USCIS office and explain to them the situation? Ask them where, based upon the information you have submitted, your biometrics appointment will be sent. You can then, if necessary, make changes from your mailing address to your permanent address - or even ask them to put a hold on your petition until after you return.

I would suspect that you may, even if you didn't do anything about the address situation, receive the biometrics appointment letter before you leave the end of July. I would also expect that to go to your mailing address, although I don't know whether they would have the appointment scheduled for your permanent address or your mailing address location. That is definitely something you can ask at the appointment.

If you get the letter before you leave and the appointment is for when you are away, you are able to return the letter and state that you are not going to be available on that date (it is usually about 10 days to 2 weeks after the letter arrives) and would like to re-schedule. You could include a copy of your flight itinerary showing the date you leave and the date you return and ask for a rescheduled biometrics appointment for when you get back. Keep a photocopy of the letter before you mail it back.

You can also put a hold on your mail for the 20 days that you are away by going to the Post Office and requesting that. While they won't forward anything from USCIS (they are not supposed to), they will hold your mail and then deliver it when you get back. If you had received the biometrics letter while you were away and you missed the appointment, again, you could return the biometrics letter along with a copy of your travel itinerary, requesting a new biometrics date as you were out of the country at the time this letter was sent and the appointment was set. I doubt that you would be away long enough for the file to be cancelled due to failure to attend, but you certainly do want to do whatever you can to avoid that happening.

A third option, if you receive the letter before you go and it is at the local office, is to go to that location with the letter, explain that you will be away when the appointment is scheduled and ask if you could do it that day - early - instead, so it would be done before you left. Most locations allow for early biometrics if you have a good reason.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Kathryn41