Changing Your Address with the Immigration Agencies

Date of Information: 07/07/2025

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Introduction

If you've moved or plan to move, you must notify multiple government agencies separately:

  1. The Immigration Court (the “Executive Office of Immigration Review” or “EOIR”);

  2. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) (if applicable);

  3. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) (if applicable); and

  4. The U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”).

Failing to update your address with each agency can result in:

  • Missing a court hearing

  • Getting a deportation order

  • Losing your work permit or asylum benefits

  • Missing mail with approval notices or deadlines

Each agency has its own rules and systems. There is usually more than one way to update your address with each agency, but some methods are more desirable than others. Here's what to do:

EOIR – Immigration Court

Who: Anyone with an upcoming hearing or pending court case.
Deadline: Within 5 days of your move.

🥇 Best Option: File Online

Use the EOIR Respondent Access Portal

  • Best for people with access to their case online

  • Requires a Login. Register here

  • Save the confirmation screen once you complete the address-change process

🥈 Second-Best Option: Mail Form EOIR-33

⚠️ If All Else Fails: Hand-Deliver to the Court

  • Ask for a date-stamped copy

  • Only do this if you're already near the court

  • Caution: ICE has lately been patrolling near the immigration courts to intercept asylum seekers

ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Who: Anyone on ICE supervision (ISAP, ankle monitor, check-ins)
Deadline: Within 5 days of your move

🥇 Best Option: Online Submission

https://portal.ice.gov/ocoa

  • Unreliable; often down or overloaded

  • For more information about the Online Change of Address Portal at ICE, please visit its website for check-ins at: https://www.ice.gov/check-in

  • If used, follow up by phone or email with your officer to ensure receipt

🥈 Second-Best Option: Call or Email Your ICE Officer or ISAP Case Manager

  • Include your A-number, new address, and move date

  • Ask for written confirmation that your address was updated

⚠️ If All Else Fails: Visit ICE ERO Office (Last Resort Only)

⚠️ WARNING:

Visiting ICE in person can be dangerous. People have been detained or arrested during check-ins, even without a legal basis.

USCIS – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Who: Anyone with an asylum application (Form I-589) or other immigration forms pending with USCIS (especially important if you have applied for your work permit but have not yet recieved it)
Deadline: Within 10 days of your move

🥇 Best Option: File Online

Submit a Change of Address Form Through USCIS Online.

  • Fastest and most reliable

  • Works for multiple forms at once: be ready to input the receipt numbers for any applications you have pending with USCIS.

  • Confirmation sent by email — save it!

🥈 Second-Best Option: Mail Form AR-11

Download & Mail Form AR-11:

  • Mail to the address listed on USCIS’s website

  • Use certified mail and keep a copy to preserve evidence that you fulfilled your duty

  • Consult the USCIS Website on Form AR-11 if you have any questions or concerns about updated procedures or form versions

⚠️ Option 3: Call USCIS

📞 1-800-375-5283

  • Wait times can be long

  • Use only to confirm that your address was updated

USPS – U.S. Postal Service

⚠️Notice:

Updating your address with USPS is not required by law and will not affect your immigration status or eligibility for relief. However, it is overwhelmingly in your interest to do so. It will prevent you from missing important mail related to your immigration case. It will also ensure your benefits—especially your Social Security card and employment authorization document—reach you within a reasonable period.

Who: Everyone, no matter your immigration status

Why: Immigration agencies often send physical mail (EAD cards, biometrics appointments, etc.). If you don’t update with USPS, your documents may go to your old address — even if you updated it with USCIS.

🥇 Best Option: Change Your Address Online

https://moversguide.usps.com

  • $1.10 fee for identity verification (debit/credit card)

  • Takes 5–10 business days

  • Save your confirmation number

🥈 Second-Best Option: Go to the Post Office

  • Ask for Form PS 3575

  • Drop it off in person

  • Keep your receipt or confirmation

📌 NOTE: USPS will forward most mail for 1 year, but it is not a substitute for updating your address with EOIR, ICE, or USCIS.

📌 Final Reminders

You must notify EACH agency separately

  • Changing your address with one does not update the others

  • Keep proof of every submission

  • Missing a notice or hearing can result in deportation

If you’re unsure which agencies apply to you, talk to your lawyer or legal aid organization right away.

Need Additional Help with an Address Change?

Charles International Law can submit some address changes on behalf of its clients. However, these services come with an additional fee of $25. The fee is designed to encourage you to use the self-help options available for each agency. Moreover, changing your address is time-consuming for your attorney and does not require any special legal knowledge. Nevertheless, if you are uncomfortable changing your address on your own, please set up an appointment using the button below:

Existing Clients Only: Click Here to Schedule Assistance with Your Address Change

FAQ — Changing Your Address with EOIR, ICE, USCIS & USPS

  1. Which agencies do I need to notify when I move?
    You typically need to notify up to four separate entities: (1) EOIR (Immigration Court) if you have a court case, (2) ICE if you’re on ICE supervision (e.g., ISAP, ankle monitor, check-ins), (3) USCIS if you have applications pending, and (4) USPS so your mail forwards correctly. Each is separate—updating one does not update the others.

  2. What’s the deadline to update my address with EOIR?
    Within 5 days of your move.

  3. What’s the best way to change my address with EOIR?
    Use the EOIR Respondent Access Portal to file online and save the confirmation screen. Second-best is mailing EOIR-33 to the court and ICE Office of Chief Counsel. As a last resort, you can hand-deliver to the court and ask for a date-stamped copy.

  4. Do I also have to notify ICE’s lawyers when I file EOIR-33?
    Yes. Mail one EOIR-33 to the court and another to the local ICE Office of Chief Counsel. Keep copies for your records.

  5. What’s the deadline to update my address with ICE if I’m on supervision?
    Within 5 days of your move.

  6. How do I update my address with ICE?
    Try the online change-of-address portal first; it can be unreliable, so follow up by phone or email with your officer or ISAP case manager and ask for written confirmation. Visiting an ERO office should be a last resort due to detention risk during in-person visits.

  7. What’s the deadline to update my address with USCIS?
    Within 10 days of your move.

  8. How do I update my address with USCIS?
    Best is to submit the change online through your USCIS account; it’s fastest, handles multiple forms, and sends an email confirmation. Alternatively, mail Form AR-11 (use certified mail and keep a copy). You can call USCIS to confirm the update, but expect long wait times.

  9. Why should I update my address with USPS if it’s not legally required?
    USPS forwarding helps ensure you don’t miss critical mail (e.g., biometrics, EADs, approval notices). It’s not a substitute for notifying EOIR/ICE/USCIS, but it’s strongly in your interest.

  10. How do I update my address with USPS?
    Best is the online Movers Guide (small identity-verification fee; keep the confirmation number). You can also complete PS Form 3575 at a post office. Note: most mail forwards for one year.

  11. Does updating with one agency update the others automatically?
    No. You must notify each applicable agency separately and keep proof for each submission.

  12. What proof should I keep after updating my address?
    Save online confirmations, mailing receipts (e.g., certified mail), copies of forms, and any email confirmations from officers or case managers.

  13. What happens if I don’t update my address?
    You risk missing notices or hearings, which can lead to deportation orders, loss of benefits like work authorization, and missed deadlines.

  14. Is it safe to visit the immigration court or ICE office in person?
    Only if necessary. The page cautions that ICE has patrolled near courts and that people have been detained during ICE check-ins; try safer options (online, mail, phone/email) first.

  15. Can Charles International Law do this for me?
    Yes—CIL can submit some address changes for existing clients for a $25 service fee. If you prefer assistance, use the scheduling link on the page.

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