Will address change always delay the process?

[david2029 0]

I have filed N400 application for 5 months. There is still another 9 months waiting for the interview in my field office. My employer offers me an option to relocate to another state where the N400 processing time is only between 6.5~13 months. I understand it's better not to change address during the waiting time because the case transfer might delay the process. But for my situation, is it possible my waiting time might be shorter instead? 

 

Thanks for any information. 

[Rocio0010 5,681]

It might be shortened. You never know! When I applied my AOS, Pittsburgh was looking at 13 months of wait time, and I was done in 6 months. What I mean is that sometimes wait times are just estimates.

Is the relocation worth? If so, I wouldn’t base my decision solely on naturalization. After all, it’s not like you’re deportable if you’re not a citizen by a certain date.

[bing10 114]

3 hours ago, david2029 said:

I have filed N400 application for 5 months. There is still another 9 months waiting for the interview in my field office. My employer offers me an option to relocate to another state where the N400 processing time is only between 6.5~13 months. I understand it's better not to change address during the waiting time because the case transfer might delay the process. But for my situation, is it possible my waiting time might be shorter instead? 

 

For me, changing states unjammed my case.

 

I'd been waiting 1.5 years for a decision after the interview. The same day they processed my paperwork to change states, they approved the case.

 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,489]

It might be faster or you might be put to the back of the line at the new local office.  As @ra0010 stated, make the decision based on the job - is it a better position?  Is the new office nice?  What is the cost of living at the new location?  Is it harder or easier for housing/school/commuting/etc?

[millefleur 5,047]

If the estimated time for the new field office is faster than your current one, the processing might speed up. The "case transfer" to a new field office is fairly standard, it's all electronic anyway, just might take a couple weeks for USCIS to update it and get it into their system. You might have to call them to verify that it was indeed transferred. No one can say for sure because some unlucky people end up with slow processing times based on the specifics of their case (more background checks, etc) or for unknown reasons. If you're concerned, check in with the thread about that current field office in the Progress Reports forum, there might be people who also moved who can give specific experiences with that field office:

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/161-us-citizenship-case-filing-and-progress-reports/

[LiRo 15]

On 12/13/2021 at 4:32 AM, david2029 said:

I have filed N400 application for 5 months. There is still another 9 months waiting for the interview in my field office. My employer offers me an option to relocate to another state where the N400 processing time is only between 6.5~13 months. I understand it's better not to change address during the waiting time because the case transfer might delay the process. But for my situation, is it possible my waiting time might be shorter instead? 

 

Thanks for any information. 

They may still schedule you for an interview in an old location 

[millefleur 5,047]

On 12/14/2021 at 10:05 PM, LiRo said:

They may still schedule you for an interview in an old location 

Not if he fills out the AR-11 and does an address change.

[LiRo 15]

Just now, millefleur said:

Not if he fills out the AR-11 and does an address change.

Unfortunately not true. I did all of that, got confirmation of address change and 2 months later they ignored it all the way and scheduled me for an interview on a different coast... 

[millefleur 5,047]

1 minute ago, LiRo said:

Unfortunately not true. I did all of that, got confirmation of address change and 2 months later they ignored it all the way and scheduled me for an interview on a different coast... 

Did you call USCIS to confirm that the case had been transferred to the new field office?

[Rocio0010 5,681]

On 12/14/2021 at 11:05 PM, LiRo said:

They may still schedule you for an interview in an old location 

If they filed for AR-11, that should not happen. And if it does happen, most likely he will show up for the interview, but once the IO is made aware that a new office has jurisdiction, they will not make a decision and he'll still have to go to the new location. I've seen that happen.

[LiRo 15]

2 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Did you call USCIS to confirm that the case had been transferred to the new field office?

I am still thinking what is the best option for me. I really hate the idea of further delays

[Rocio0010 5,681]

6 minutes ago, LiRo said:

Unfortunately not true. I did all of that, got confirmation of address change and 2 months later they ignored it all the way and scheduled me for an interview on a different coast... 

So sorry that happened to you. I would go ahead and contact an L2 officer and the ombudsman. It's not far if you did complete the change of address!

[millefleur 5,047]

Just now, LiRo said:

I am still thinking what is the best option for me. I really hate the idea of further delays

When we moved to another state, there were delays because of Covid but then ended up getting approved faster than other people who didn't move and had been waiting longer. There doesn't appear to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason to how USCIS does things. People who do everything right, don't even move, are at "fast" field offices and have straightforward cases without criminal backgrounds sometimes get slower processing than people who move or have complicated cases.

 

Bottom line is if you want to move to another state and you have a good reason to do so, such as if it's cheaper and will save you money or there's a good job offer, it probably makes sense to move. We moved from a faster field office to a slower one and still out case ended up being processed faster than others who had been waiting longer. I don't really get how it works but moving doesn't necessarily mean there will be a delay.

[Rocio0010 5,681]

2 minutes ago, millefleur said:

There doesn't appear to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason to how USCIS does things

Exactly. You know how people usually complain about the processing centers and their wait times and stuff like that? I usually don't bother; wait times are really estimates and I've seen cases go really fast at historically slow offices, and the other way around. The only consistency I've been able to spot is Reno, Nevada seems to be really fast across the board, and Seattle seems to be the opposite.

My advice to OP is to not base your life decisions on USCIS processing times. If the job offer is worth it, you like the job and the new city, I would not consider USCIS into the equation. Like I said, you're already a resident, so it's not like you'll be deportable if you don't get approved next month.

[millefleur 5,047]

1 minute ago, ra0010 said:

My advice to OP is to not base your life decisions on USCIS processing times.

Based on the anecdotal evidence here on VJ, unless people move to one of the exceptionally bad field offices (Seattle, Minneapolis, etc) there doesn't seem to be any significant delay in moving from one state to another. More just the annoying steps of AR-11 and then calling USCIS to follow up that your case was indeed transferred. Also, even if there was a delay, it's possible to know why because USCIS doesn't tell people anything regarding processing times.