I-751 submitted, should she send in notice of address change, or not?

[Trymester3 6]

Hello,

 

I am a US Citizen and she is a US Resident/Japanese national.

I helped my wife file her I-751 in Feb. 2017. She already received the NOA letter. She is definitely going to receive an RFE because we are in the middle of a divorce, so she filed with a waiver but didn't include the date the divorce decree was granted (since we're still waiting on it to be granted).

 

My question is about the address that she listed when asked where she lives. We used my same address because this is the most secure place to receive mail. She technically doesn't live with me anymore. When the RFE arrives, should she provide her new address or should she do that before the RFE arrives? Alternatively, can she just keep listing my address even though she doesn't live with me anymore? It is her most secure permanent address.

 

Also, if she provides her new address when filing taxes this year, that means that her new address will be out in the world and public knowledge, therefore will she be best off providing the new address to the USCIS?

[nightingalejules 678]

She must provide the change of address information. That form will allow her to fill in a different mailing address (ie yours) and physical address (where she's now residing.) She is supposed to file that change of address within 10 days of having relocated, so if it's already past that time, she needs to file right away. 

On the up side though, it's free and can be done online!

https://egov.uscis.gov/coa/displayCOAForm.do

 

[Trymester3 6]

Where would all of her Immigration related mail go to though? Will it go to the place where she is residing now, or will it go to the permanent address (my address)? She would probably want the mail to go to the permanent address (which is mine). What would be the solution here?

 

Edit: According to the form it seems like she has 3 spaces to fill in an old address, new address, and a mailing address.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Trymester3

[Trymester3 6]

In the link you provided, under "disclosure" it says that the information is "voluntary". If I understand this correctly, it means that its still fine for her to receive her mail at her permanent address and she doesn't need to share her new address.

[nightingalejules 678]

In the documentation on your actual green card, it states that all green card holders (except diplomats) must notify USCIS of any change of address within 10 days of the address change. It's kind of creepy, I know, but we green card holders are "required to be registered" and the government needs to know where we live, not just where we get our mail. It's actually a misdemeanor if we don't. The information is classified as "voluntary" because the AR-11 form is also used for other people who are not legally required to provide that information.

So she does need to share her new address, even if her mailing address doesn't change.

And, just so we're clear, your address (her mailing address) is no longer actually her permanent address, if you're getting divorced. In this context, "permanent address" would be an address that she is actually going to be returning to, to live. (For example, when I was away at college, living in student housing, my parents' address was my "permanent address" not just because that's where my mail went, but because all my stuff was there, and I planned to return to live there when school was over.)

If that were the case, and she was temporarily living somewhere other than the family home, but planning to return on a particular date to live there, she wouldn't be required to "share" her temporary address. But it's not. This is her new address, where she lives, and she is required to disclose that to USCIS.

So new address = her address and mailing address = your address, if she's still getting her mail there. 

[Trymester3 6]

Thank you for your input. So, this means that technically she has a new address and a mailing address, but not a permanent address. By the way, we are still legally married (that's what we had to state every time we are asked even though we are awaiting the divorce decree since the case is already on the "judge's calendar".

 

Would she be able to communicate this address change information to the USCIS simply by using the form in the link you provided in the other post?

 

Also, does the address she provides the USCIS need to match the address that she will give the IRS in April? I was trying to do my best to not over complicate this process for her.

 

Thanks to anyone for your input.