Address in the US to activate GC

[Quit 0]

Hello,

 

I have won a green card and will be moving to the USA pretty soon. However, I do not have a proper address/place to live in. I'm thinking of staying in the hostel at the start, till I find a place to rent.

 

The problem is that I have to tell my address at the point of entry (airport), that's where the GC will be mailed. The question is - how can I get this address? What would you suggest? I do not have anyone in the USA to ask for their address, hence this is not an option. And I don't think I can tell them I shall stay in the hostel. Plus I wouldn't stay there for 2 months till the GC got mailed to me.

 

Looking forward to your suggestions! Thanks!

[Sm1smom 252]

You mean you’re a DV lottery selectee, not that you’ve won a GC. Have you had your interview? Have you been issued with an immigrant visa at this stage or you’re still waiting for the interview?

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

21 minutes ago, Quit said:

Hello,

 

I have won a green card and will be moving to the USA pretty soon. However, I do not have a proper address/place to live in. I'm thinking of staying in the hostel at the start, till I find a place to rent.

 

The problem is that I have to tell my address at the point of entry (airport), that's where the GC will be mailed. The question is - how can I get this address? What would you suggest? I do not have anyone in the USA to ask for their address, hence this is not an option. And I don't think I can tell them I shall stay in the hostel. Plus I wouldn't stay there for 2 months till the GC got mailed to me.

 

Looking forward to your suggestions! Thanks!

Why do you think you can’t tell them you’ll stay in a hostel? You can stay anywhere you want. Whose address did you put on the DS260/tell them at interview?

 

Anyway your best course of action may be to delay paying the immigrant fee until you have a permanent address, then change your address with uscis online (as you are required to do anyway when you move), and then pay your $220 fee. The green card won’t be mailed until this fee is paid.

Edited February 15, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Quit 0]

40 minutes ago, Sm1smom said:

You mean you’re a DV lottery selectee, not that you’ve won a GC. Have you had your interview? Have you been issued with an immigrant visa at this stage or you’re still waiting for the interview?

I mean, that I have a visa in my passport.

 

32 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Why do you think you can’t tell them you’ll stay in a hostel? You can stay anywhere you want. Whose address did you put on the DS260/tell them at interview?

 

Anyway your best course of action may be to delay paying the immigrant fee until you have a permanent address, then change your address with uscis online (as you are required to do anyway when you move), and then pay your $220 fee. The green card won’t be mailed until this fee is paid.

I don't know if I can tell them that I will stay in a hostel. I thought I will not be allowed into the country without telling them my permanent address + paying the $220 fee. The hostel is not a permanent address. I will not have my permanent address till I have rented something, which I can't do until I am on the American soil.

 

I thought I can change my address only at the POE until I got my GC and then I should use USCIS online. I am missing something, but what?

 

I have used my friend's friend's friend address on the DS-260, but I wouldn't want to take the chances of using that address for my GC since I don't know them good enough.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

15 minutes ago, Quit said:

I mean, that I have a visa in my passport.

 

I don't know if I can tell them that I will stay in a hostel. I thought I will not be allowed into the country without telling them my permanent address + paying the $220 fee. The hostel is not a permanent address. I will not have my permanent address till I have rented something, which I can't do until I am on the American soil.

 

I thought I can change my address only at the POE until I got my GC and then I should use USCIS online. I am missing something, but what?

 

I have used my friend's friend's friend address on the DS-260, but I wouldn't want to take the chances of using that address for my GC since I don't know them good enough.

Well, you thought wrong! We didn't have a permanent address when we arrived, we were in a hotel. Many people, especially DV selectees not coming in to stay with family, stay in temporary lodging until they find a place to rent. Why would you think they expect everyone to have arranged permanent accommodation before setting foot in the country? 

 

 And you can pay the $220 fee after you arrive, just be aware you don't get sent your plastic green card until you do.  The official USCIS page states this quite clearly:

You may also pay the fee after you arrive in the United States.  https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/uscis-immigrant-fee

 

Your endorsed-upon-entry visa turns into a temporary green card for a year after arrival, so you can use that in the meanwhile for anything you need a green card for.

[Quit 0]

20 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

Well, you thought wrong! We didn't have a permanent address when we arrived, we were in a hotel. Many people, especially DV selectees not coming in to stay with family, stay in temporary lodging until they find a place to rent. Why would you think they expect everyone to have arranged permanent accommodation before setting foot in the country? 

 

 And you can pay the $220 fee after you arrive, just be aware you don't get sent your plastic green card until you do.  The official USCIS page states this quite clearly:

You may also pay the fee after you arrive in the United States.  https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/uscis-immigrant-fee

 

Your endorsed-upon-entry visa turns into a temporary green card for a year after arrival, so you can use that in the meanwhile for anything you need a green card for.

Thank you for your help.

 

As far as I understood, the plan would be:

1. Enter the US and stay in the hostel

2. Look for an apartment to rent

3. Rent an apartment

4. Set an address on www.uscis.gov into the one I have just moved in

5. Pay the fee

6. Wait for the GC in my rented apartment (2months ish)

 

The question is - is it possible to rent an apartment for less than 3 months, so I would be able to get back home after that? What are the websites in the US to search for the apartments to rent?

 

Thanks!

[Quit 0]

2 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

Short term rentals may be available depending on location, but are very expensive. An extended stay hotel or hostel is likely to be much cheaper, and both are certainly legitimate accommodation! 

Can I use hostel address to get my GC mailed there? Seems a bit awkward.

[Quit 0]

14 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

Yes.. you would need to feel comfortable about the safety and security of mail held at the hostel, but yes quite legitimate housing. 

That's great. I will investigate my options. Plus I need to finish deciding on the state.

 

Thank you very much. I'm sorted for now.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

1 hour ago, Quit said:

Thank you for your help.

 

As far as I understood, the plan would be:

1. Enter the US and stay in the hostel

2. Look for an apartment to rent

3. Rent an apartment

4. Set an address on www.uscis.gov into the one I have just moved in

5. Pay the fee

6. Wait for the GC in my rented apartment (2months ish)

 

The question is - is it possible to rent an apartment for less than 3 months, so I would be able to get back home after that? What are the websites in the US to search for the apartments to rent?

 

Thanks!

If you'll just be waiting for the green card - it could take a month, it could take 6 (things go wrong sometimes). How long would you go "home" for? May be better to wait till you are properly settled - with the caveat that you don't want to wait too long to get your plastic GC.

1 hour ago, Dee elle said:

Short term rentals may be available depending on location, but are very expensive. An extended stay hotel or hostel is likely to be much cheaper, and both are certainly legitimate accommodation! 

The other advantage of a hostel or extended stay hotel is that if you take longer or shorter than you initially expected to find a permanent place, they are much more flexible re extending your stay or not penalizing you for cutting it short.

1 hour ago, Quit said:

Can I use hostel address to get my GC mailed there? Seems a bit awkward.

Depends how long you plan to be there, and whether or not you can trust the people receiving the mail. I stayed in many hostels in my younger backpacking days, and they vary widely.

[Quit 0]

I read USCIS website, and it says that I should get a notice mailed to me if I didn't pay for the green card in time.

Quote

You may also pay the fee after you arrive in the United States. If you arrive in the United States and haven’t yet paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee, USCIS will send you a notice requesting payment with instructions on paying your fee. You will not receive your Green Card until you have paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee.

 

Where would that notice be mailed/emailed to? Email or the main address I provided at the POE?

 

If I change hotels/hostels/AirBnb every week or two, does that mean I have to keep updating my address online?

 

By the way, how did you do this yourself @SusieQQQ ?

 

P.S. I'm going to Austin, TX. How is it with rentals there?

 

Thanks!

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

I assume when they say mail, they mean post. 

 

I don’t see the point in changing your address every couple of weeks in temporary lodging - not just from a uscis reporting point of view but from being settled somewhere and also cost, because many of these places give a discount for longer term stays. You may want to look into the extended-stay hotels, they might be a bit more than hostels but many offer longer-stay discounts, yet are still very flexible if you suddenly leave earlier than planned or need to extend your stay longer than you thought, usually provide breakfast and many have a happy hour or even provide a snack dinner a few nights a week, included. And I’d trust them more with receiving mail - we got our bank cards sent to ours.

Anyway for uscis I wouldn’t change it till I had somewhere more permanent. 

 

I have a parent in the US so I didn’t have any problem with a reliable mailing address.

 

theres a website called city-data (I haven’t used it in a couple of years but I assume it’s still going) that has great forums on individual cities and usually very helpful members answering questions about things like rent, decent areas of town, public transport or highway access, etc etc - all the kind of things people ask when they relocate. I’d suggest you start there wrt looking for Austin-specific information. 

Edit: yup, still there  http://www.city-data.com/forum/austin/

Edited March 5, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Quit 0]

On 3/5/2018 at 12:58 AM, SusieQQQ said:

I assume when they say mail, they mean post. 

 

I don’t see the point in changing your address every couple of weeks in temporary lodging - not just from a uscis reporting point of view but from being settled somewhere and also cost, because many of these places give a discount for longer term stays. You may want to look into the extended-stay hotels, they might be a bit more than hostels but many offer longer-stay discounts, yet are still very flexible if you suddenly leave earlier than planned or need to extend your stay longer than you thought, usually provide breakfast and many have a happy hour or even provide a snack dinner a few nights a week, included. And I’d trust them more with receiving mail - we got our bank cards sent to ours.

Anyway for uscis I wouldn’t change it till I had somewhere more permanent. 

 

I have a parent in the US so I didn’t have any problem with a reliable mailing address.

 

theres a website called city-data (I haven’t used it in a couple of years but I assume it’s still going) that has great forums on individual cities and usually very helpful members answering questions about things like rent, decent areas of town, public transport or highway access, etc etc - all the kind of things people ask when they relocate. I’d suggest you start there wrt looking for Austin-specific information. 

Edit: yup, still there  http://www.city-data.com/forum/austin/

Thank you for the information. I have rented a short-term apartment and are ready for the move.

 

However, I have found out that:

• We will only mail your Green Card to the U.S. mailing address you provide to the Department of State at the time of your immigrant visa interview or to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer when you are admitted to the United States. If you plan on living at a different U.S. address immediately after you enter the United States, please give that address to the CBP officer to ensure that your card arrives at your new home.

Which means I can change my GC address during the interview or at the POE only. Apparently, USCIS changes to the address are not reflected into where the green card will be sent.

 

Back to the drawing board...

[Quit 0]

On 4/10/2018 at 6:09 PM, Dee elle said:

After entering, you can update your address using the online AR11 and the GC will be sent there. This is what we did. Card arrived at the new address without issue. You can confirm on the phone with USCIS that they have the new address on file... wait a week or so to ensure it is in the system, print out a copy of the form, and note the Confirmation number assigned after submitting it online. 

Thanks for your answer. Does that mean you have not paid the Green Card fees until you have updated your address online first?

 

I still have not paid my $220 of the processing fee and I will pay it once I have found a long-term place to stay.

 

Were your steps the same?

[Quit 0]

1 minute ago, Dee elle said:

We paid the fee before we left Australia for the US. Changed address after about 2 months after we entered POE 

oh, OK. Good to know this. I thought they start making the card at the time you pass the POE, if you have paid the fees and they use the address provided at the POE to send the card to.

 

Now if you have changed the address 2 months later, that's a long time to not get the card. I heard people are usually getting it in the first 2 months.

 

It's unnecessarily complicated. I guess - I just have to WAIT AND SEE myself. I will have a year to wrap things up on the temporary visa.

[payxibka 10,045]

Is their a UPS Store / Mailboxes etc.. store near where you will live?