Alison

Have any of you ever done this? We want to turn in our paperwork for
the AOS right away, but are probably going to be moving in the next
month or so. Should we wait until we move to file the AOS? I've
heard it can really screw things up if you move while it's in process.
We aren't planning to move anywhere far, so the paperwork could still
stay at the same BCIS office, but does that make any difference?

Thanks for your input,
Alison

lairdside

I believe that if you are staying with the same office you should be ok, if you have to change offices however it could cause a delay

Kristin

Hi Alison - If I were you, I would wait to file until you know your new
address. I've seen way too many people on this NG who had trouble with
address changes and ended up missing their appointments because, despite
multiple trips and letters to the BCIS/INS, they used an old address to
send the appointment letters. Even within the same BCIS office! If it
were me, I would wait. Just my 2 cents! :-) Kristin


Alison wrote:
    > Have any of you ever done this? We want to turn in our paperwork for
    > the AOS right away, but are probably going to be moving in the next
    > month or so. Should we wait until we move to file the AOS? I've
    > heard it can really screw things up if you move while it's in process.
    > We aren't planning to move anywhere far, so the paperwork could still
    > stay at the same BCIS office, but does that make any difference?
    >
    > Thanks for your input,
    > Alison

imkimmy

Alison-

My husband and I moved during the time between submitting the AOS paperwork and our interview. Our new address did not switch service centers nor local offices. We did send change of address notifications to both the service center and the local offices (one notice for me-the USC and one for my hubby-alien). We did not experience any problems with the change. All of our letters have come to the correct address. Of course they did have a year between when we moved and the interview so they had plenty of time to update their records.

Some people have had a lot of trouble with address changes, but I guess we just lucked out.

Kimberly

ania

Kimberly,
Which exactly forms did you send to your local and to the service centers of BCIS? I was just trying to find out all that info through the 800 number, but BCIS website is down, or they changed the address again...so I can't get any information today. I am moving within the same local office, so I hope there won't be too much trouble.

Thanks

ScarlettHill

My twopenn'orth - wait till after you move.

My husband and I had no choice about moving while AOS is in process because our apartment complex was sold to people who were remodeling for condos.

Less than a week before we moved our AOS papers came. A week later and we'd never have got them because there's no way they would have processed our change of address that fast even if an efficiency miracle took place. Despite ordering mail to be forwarded it wouldn't have been, because when you ask for mail to be forwarded you have to specify the names to be forwarded. But the AOS papers were sent to me with a name I don't even have - they had hyphenated my maiden name, which I hadn't used in over a decade, with my new married name. The Postie told me it wouldn't have ben forwarded because it wasn't a name we specified. Only ###### good luck made those papers arrive the day they did and not a few days later. If they'd come later, and not been forwarded, we would have been deemed to have abandoned our application when we didn't turn up for an interview we knew nothing about. Nothing about the TSC or Dallas office I have experienced so far gives me any cause to think they have even yet married up our new address with our paperwork. My advice is don't take a chance of a major mess for the sake of a month or so.

All the best.

regards
-=-
Scarlett

Caro

Well, it all depends! My husband and I got screwed royally by moving accross the country while 6 months into AOS. If it is only 1 month and you still have time on your visa, I would wait. If it is a question of remaining legally in the country, I would file now, and deal with the HUGE pain that moving/changing address is.

Caroline

imkimmy

Here is what we did:
- I (USC) filled out I-865 and sent to Vermont 09/22/00, received NOA 09/27/00
- mailed copy of I-865 with a simple letter from my husband (CAN) stating his address had changed. We sent this return receipt via USPS to local office.

Maybe we got lucky, but everything has come to the right address.

Kimberly

Folinskyinla

Hi:

I would put the AOS as soon as possible.

When you move, make sure you put in an address change with the post office.

When you move, make sure you file the AR-11 -- I'm on a local bar-BCIS working group here in LA trying to improve things. One of the issues involves the old "continued" cases -- and LOS-BCIS says they now routinely look up the AR-11 database to see if there is an address change.

[BTW, I'm starting to see improvements in local BCIS operations now that NSEERS is out of the way -- and now that they are on their own -- they no longer have to answer to the head dick.]

lairdside

Once you file for AOS I believe that they notify the beneficiary and not the petitioner. Although I believe that as a family based petition you will have had the petitioner and possibly other co-sponsors fill out an affidavit of support.

I could be wrong but I think it may be possible that you should also file I-865, Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address, in addition to the AR-11 ?

ania

Thanks Kimberly!