Changing address after POE - are there any good options?

[jkxp 0]

All,

 

I am stuck in a tight spot here and could use some advice. I posted awhile back about DCF and was very fortunate to get my wife’s visa approved within 3 months; I know this puts us among the lucky ones, but now we’re stuck in a bad place with respect to getting the physical green card. I did not realize it took USCIS literal months to print a piece of plastic and mail it.

 

The problem is that we may not be able to keep the address that was listed on the DS-260. It was a 6-month rental I chose because I was relocating myself, and needed a place to live short-term, and also because she needed a U.S. address on the form. It was not meant to be permanent, and while the situation there has been difficult from the start, it’s gotten much worse since new neighbors moved in recently – it is at the point that it is affecting my mental and physical health and not at all where I want us to be living. We both work remotely and so a bad living situation like this could become a nightmare, especially if the GC takes longer than a few months to receive.

 

The problem is that this seems to be a very bad spot to be stuck in if you’re awaiting a physical green card. The only options I can see are:

 

A)     Tough it out for several months and hope we don’t both get sick or go insane, and pray to whomever is listening that the GC arrives very quickly

B)     Move to a new apartment (easy enough) and pray for the best – talk to the mailman, leave a note for the next tenant, et cetera

C)     Have my wife come to the US for a very short visit (a weekend at most as she has limited time off) to activate the GC, then I go and stay with her for awhile as it’s processing, and cut down the time we’re stuck in that place

 

Not sure if I missed any? C seems like the best option if doable, but I have read conflicting accounts of whether this is actually safe to do or not (my understanding is she is entirely free to come and go as much as she wants, but if a CBP agent is having a bad day it could cause problems). Also not sure if POE matters - she is in Japan, so would a trip to Guam work even if that's not where we'll be living?

 

A is the most straightforward answer, but will be extremely unpleasant to deal with. B I am not sure of – I know USCIS is terrible with address changes and that this will probably delay her receiving the GC. OTOH, she should get a stamp in her passport that will serve as a green card for a year, right? Certainly we should get it by then, even if we move? What happens if we don’t? Is there any risk to her ability to stay in the country?

 

Sorry if the above is not entirely clear – this is all very stressful. I can’t wait for us to be together again, but I really want to find some kind of a resolution here so that our first few months in America together aren’t a complete nightmare. If there is a solution I have not thought of, please let me know.

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by jkxp

[Lil bear 4,217]

26 minutes ago, jkxp said:

All,

 

I am stuck in a tight spot here and could use some advice. I posted awhile back about DCF and was very fortunate to get my wife’s visa approved within 3 months; I know this puts us among the lucky ones, but now we’re stuck in a bad place with respect to getting the physical green card. I did not realize it took USCIS literal months to print a piece of plastic and mail it.

 

The problem is that we may not be able to keep the address that was listed on the DS-260. It was a 6-month rental I chose because I was relocating myself, and needed a place to live short-term, and also because she needed a U.S. address on the form. It was not meant to be permanent, and while the situation there has been difficult from the start, it’s gotten much worse since new neighbors moved in recently – it is at the point that it is affecting my mental and physical health and not at all where I want us to be living. We both work remotely and so a bad living situation like this could become a nightmare, especially if the GC takes longer than a few months to receive.

 

The problem is that this seems to be a very bad spot to be stuck in if you’re awaiting a physical green card. The only options I can see are:

 

A)     Tough it out for several months and hope we don’t both get sick or go insane, and pray to whomever is listening that the GC arrives very quickly

B)     Move to a new apartment (easy enough) and pray for the best – talk to the mailman, leave a note for the next tenant, et cetera

C)     Have my wife come to the US for a very short visit (a weekend at most as she has limited time off) to activate the GC, then I go and stay with her for awhile as it’s processing, and cut down the time we’re stuck in that place

 

Not sure if I missed any? C seems like the best option if doable, but I have read conflicting accounts of whether this is actually safe to do or not (my understanding is she is entirely free to come and go as much as she wants, but if a CBP agent is having a bad day it could cause problems). Also not sure if POE matters - she is in Japan, so would a trip to Guam work even if that's not where we'll be living?

 

A is the most straightforward answer, but will be extremely unpleasant to deal with. B I am not sure of – I know USCIS is terrible with address changes and that this will probably delay her receiving the GC. OTOH, she should get a stamp in her passport that will serve as a green card for a year, right? Certainly we should get it by then, even if we move? What happens if we don’t? Is there any risk to her ability to stay in the country?

 

Sorry if the above is not entirely clear – this is all very stressful. I can’t wait for us to be together again, but I really want to find some kind of a resolution here so that our first few months in America together aren’t a complete nightmare. If there is a solution I have not thought of, please let me know.

 

She should enter as soon as she wants to. Upon entry the CBP officer will put a stamp next to /abutting her visa which endorses the entry and the stamped visa is now her temporary GC until the plastic card arrives. It is good for 1 year. Don't forget to pay the GC fee of $220 Live whetever .. file the address change online AR11 when you move and keep a print out of the confirmation.  Check with USCUS about a month later to confirm they have updated the address.  Yes, leave notes etc for new tenant/landlord etc if appropriate. If the GC gets lost etc, you still have the stamped visa while things get sorted out and she can get another 12 month stamp if needed.. highly unlikely … I used my stamped visa  for the first 7 months for overseas travel, drivers licence, employment etc. 

Another option would be for your spouse to change the mailing address with the CBP officer at entry .. if you have a relative who is happy for you to use their address as your mailing address that might be safer 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Lil bear

[jkxp 0]

57 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Another option would be for your spouse to change the mailing address with the CBP officer at entry .. if you have a relative who is happy for you to use their address as your mailing address that might be safer 

Thanks for the advice. I had thought about this even during the DS-260, but figured it was not a good idea at the time since we will not actually be living with my parents. Now that the visa is approved and this is only for mailing purposes, is it safe to assume USCIS doesn't care? 

[Lil bear 4,217]

23 minutes ago, jkxp said:

Thanks for the advice. I had thought about this even during the DS-260, but figured it was not a good idea at the time since we will not actually be living with my parents. Now that the visa is approved and this is only for mailing purposes, is it safe to assume USCIS doesn't care? 

Correct. Many people use a family member address for mailing in the early stages of settling in  Thats one reason why the CBP officer confirms mailing address at POE.. and if its not asked, just tell them of the change 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Lil bear

[JeanneAdil 6,510]

Green card can not be forwarded to new address 

  do not use a PO Box #

tell the CBP officer the correct address to deliver it and send AR-11 to USCIS to change address also

[Chancy 6,241]

16 hours ago, jkxp said:

B)     Move to a new apartment (easy enough) and pray for the best – talk to the mailman, leave a note for the next tenant, et cetera

 

Move when you want to.  And do all of the following to maximize the chances that the plastic GC will be delivered to your preferred address --

1. Your wife should provide the new mailing address to the CBP officer who will process her US entry.  Sometimes they do not ask, so make sure to volunteer the info.
2. Your wife should create a myUSCIS account, if she hasn't already.  A day or so after entering the US, check the I-551 online profile information on the account.  The I-551 profile will be associated to the immigrant fee receipt number.  Update the profile info, including physical/mailing address, as necessary.  (In my case, mailing address was correct, but they left my physical address blank and got my middle name wrong.)
3. You, the USC sponsor, should mail the I-865 form for sponsor's change of address.

[jkxp 0]

Thanks for the replies, guys. It is sounding like the best course of action might be to provide my parents' address at POE for mailing - I have used them for a lot of correspondence as I've hopped around the world and so it actually makes sense, especially since we might have to move at some point irrespective of the neighbor issues. Will definitely follow the above advice if we do change it. I assume no issues if I keep my temporary address as physical, and use my parents as the mailing address?

 

Also, out of curiosity - does anyone know if a signature is required for GC delivery nowadays? I know it wasn't in past but have read some vague suggestions that this changed recently. Thanks in advance!

Edited June 22, 2022 by jkxp