The USCIS announced last week that individuals filing certain applications with USCIS District Offices should mail their forms directly to the Chicago Lockbox instead of submitting them to their District Office.  The forms included in this notice are:

·         Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;

·         Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization;

·         Form I-131 Application for Travel Document

All filing procedures remain unchanged besides the new filing address.  USCIS will implement this rollout in two phases.

Phase One will begin on December 1, 2004, and will affect certain aliens filing Form I-485, Form I-765, and Form I-131 who live in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Phase Two will begin on April 1, 2005 and will affect certain aliens filing Form I-485, Form I-765, and Form I-131 residing in: Alaska, California, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Effective December 1, 2004, those aliens described in Phase One, and effective April 1, 2005, those aliens described in Phase Two, must send their Form I-485, and/or Form I-765, and/or Form I-131, and all supporting documentation for each application, directly to one of the following addresses:

U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

P.O. Box 805887

Chicago, IL 60680-4120 

Or

For non-United States Postal Service (USPS) deliveries (e.g. private couriers):

U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

427 S. LaSalle – 3^rd Floor

Chicago, IL 60605-1098

For more information, visit www.uscis.gov.