Moving While Naturalization Application is Pending

[Jagadish]

Hi,

I live in New York and I have filed my USA citizenship application with Vermont Service Center. Looks like, application processing time can be upto 18 months.

In the meantime, If I have to move to a state that belongs to a different processing center??!! Can/Should I do it? What are be the implications?

Sorry for putting such a broder scope question, But for some reason I am unable to find a answer with the Forum search. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance for the response.

Best Wishes,
Jagadish.

[immihelp]

You can certainly move to a different place. You will have to inform USCIS about your address change and eventually the file would have to be transferred. That my cause further delays in your application, or it may not because it anyway takes long time to process.

[shie0023]

I did the same thing. I had to move to a complete different district office due to a new job, so I filed a change of address online (which took care of both application address update AND computer system update - no need to call the service center anymore).

See my time line below.

You can try not changing your address, just be sure to forward all your mail with USPS and expect couple of days worth of delay in getting your mail from USCIS to your new address. Also, if you don't change your address,then you'll be interviewed at your old address' district office. Just hope that they won't get pissy at you during your interview that you didn't change your address.

I took the other approach, I don't mind the delay (so I've heard that there's a 90-day policy to establish new legal "residency" at your new state), but I wanted to make sure that USCIS has everything of mine up-to-date. Plus I rather be interviewed here in my local district office than flying back to my old state to be interviewed.

Let the waiting continue....

[Jagadish]

Thank you for the Response

Do I need to do anything in particular for "90-day policy to establish new legal "residency" at your new state"? Will the address change itself will take care of these things.

Instead of maintaining the old address, I also plan to update the address as soon as applicable. Thanking you for your detailed response.

Best Wishes,
Jagadish Chalasani

[shie0023]

Do I need to do anything in particular for "90-day policy to establish new legal "residency" at your new state"? Will the address change itself will take care of these things.

After you complete the online AR-11, you will receive a confirmation letter in the mail to your new address about a month later. On that letter, there will be a date on the letter stating when you started to live at the new address.

USCIS will have date that on file so they will know if you've been there for 90 days already or not. Of course, having utility bills for the last three months available when you interview will greatly help too. So have that available.