Where do I file in the US?

[aitian 0]

When Nok and I move back to the US this summer I will be studying and living in Urbana-Champaign but I am a resident of Indianapolis. I would like to keep my residence in IN while living in IL so I can file our papers and have our interview in Indianapolis. The Indy office is about 80 days quicker than the Chicago office. Is this alright to do? Or do we file where we are actually living and not where my residency is?

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Should be just fine to file where your residence is. The only thing that it would affect (as far as I know..wait for other answers to be sure) is how quickly you get your mail! I'm almost certain you can safely file from there if you have a residence there, though. Just make sure your mail goes somewhere you will collect it on a regular basis (or have it forwarded) so you are sure to get any notices sent to you by USCIS.

I'm sure others will confirm (or deny!) Good luck! M.

[rebeccajo 14]

You will 'file' your papers to the Chicago lockbox.

Your interview will be 'assigned' to the District Office where the immigrant physically lives.

You do not get to pick your office for AOS, anymore than you did for filing the visa petition.

Edited April 4, 2007 by rebeccajo

[Mags 112]

You will 'file' your papers to the Chicago lockbox.

Your interview will be 'assigned' to the District Office where the immigrant physically lives.

You do not get to pick your office for AOS, anymore than you did for filing the visa petition.

Yup, I live in Indiana and sent our docs to the Chicago lockbox. Our AOS application is now at Missouri and I guess we'll probably get transferred to Indy at some point soon (or CSC, depending on who knows what ).

[Baileyj96 0]

We filed our AOS and should have went through Indianapolis but we got transferred to California. Kind of surprised me. I wouldn't have thought Indianapolis was so busy that they needed to transfer our case.

My point is it might not be faster going through indy.

Baileyj96

[florida_guy07 0]

When Nok and I move back to the US this summer I will be studying and living in Urbana-Champaign but I am a resident of Indianapolis. I would like to keep my residence in IN while living in IL so I can file our papers and have our interview in Indianapolis. The Indy office is about 80 days quicker than the Chicago office. Is this alright to do? Or do we file where we are actually living and not where my residency is?

ALL family based applications have to be mailed to the Chicago Lockbox. You don't choose. After they receive it, then they will forward your case to a local office which will be chosen based on your ZIP CODE.

[aitian 0]

You will 'file' your papers to the Chicago lockbox.

Your interview will be 'assigned' to the District Office where the immigrant physically lives.

You do not get to pick your office for AOS, anymore than you did for filing the visa petition.

This is sort of what I was asking about. You say you file where you physically live but when you file the 129f, you don't file where you physically live, you file where you legally live. I am a resident of Indiana. The address is where my license says I live and what I put on all my government forms, but I don't live there and haven't for over 10 years. It is just the family house where no one actually lives full-time. Where I physically live is not my permanent residence, so I thought maybe for the AOS I would file through my permanent address and not where I physically.

[aitian 0]

Sorry I think I need to clarify. I don't mean where to file. I mean if I can still use my permanent address even though we will only be living there during summer vacation so we can have our interview in Indy. Chicago's time line on this site is very long to interview and also it will be quite expensive to stay in Chicago for interview. Last time I was there it cost $225 a night only at The Courtyard.

[florida_guy07 0]

once again, the local office will be chosen based on your zipcode, so the address you put as your current address will be the one used to determine your local office.

Do NOT go by what their online timeline says, it is rarely accurate.

What if they send your interview appt, for instance, after the summer ? If you miss that, your AOS will be denied.

[rebeccajo 14]

The I485 instructions say to file for your place of residence.

The government wants to know where the immigrant is physically.

This petition is filed by the immigrant. The I129F is filed by the petitioner.

You are using the phrase 'where I live legally'. If you wish to use that train of thought, what do you suppose is the legal address of an immigrant who (prior to the I485 being approved) has no 'legal' status?

Edited April 4, 2007 by rebeccajo

[aitian 0]

The I485 instructions say to file for your place of residence.

The government wants to know where the immigrant is physically.

This petition is filed by the immigrant. The I129F is filed by the petitioner.

You are using the phrase 'where I live legally'. If you wish to use that train of thought, what do you suppose is the legal address of an immigrant who (prior to the I485 being approved) has no 'legal' status?

Where the immigrant is claiming residence or wherever their license is. I will have my fiance get an IN ID or license even though we will be physically in IL. When I read 'place of residence' I don't think it means where I physically am but where I am claiming residence.

[rebeccajo 14]

I'm really unclear as to whether or not a driver's license is considered a person's legal address.

What I am pretty clear about it DHS/USCIS wants to know the physical location of the immigrant. For reasons that should be clear to us if we just think about it.

Edited April 4, 2007 by rebeccajo

[Mags 112]

I think this all sounds slightly dodgy to me. You are trying to get around the wait times by filing where you feel your case could be processed quicker.

That's a bit naughty, don't you think?

[cellarlily 0]

My address on my drivers license is from a place I haven't lived in for about 7 or 8 years. I haven't even lived in that state for almost 2.5 years, but I haven't changed my drivers license because I don't drive and it doesn't expire until next February. I still visit there, though. I see my family. That residence is still owned by my family. But why in the world would I ever use THAT address as my "permanent residence".

Use the address where you live regardless of how much faster Indiana supposedly is. Period.

[athena_ny 1]

My office is Tampa, and they're supposed to be processing from September, I believe. We filed March 2nd, and our interview is April 26th. You can't go by timelines and processing times, because they're not always true for your case. Second of all, why would you want the USCIS mail delivered to a place you aren't going to be? For a processing time that may or may not be faster? I want that piece of mail as soon as it's delivered, not hanging out where no one lives?