“The INS wants to Know
Where you have Moved!”

Prior to 1980 the INS had required that immigrants annually notify the INS of their current address by filing a form in January. The INS eliminated annual reporting in 1980 but still requires the reporting of any address change within ten (10) days of the change.

All aliens who are fourteen years of age or older and who had not been registered and fingerprinted under the Alien Registration Act and have resided in the United States for more than thirty days are required to notify the INS of every change in address, within ten (10) days of the change.

How do I Report a Change?

To report a change of address the alien must file Form AR-11 and mail it to the following address:

Immigration and Naturalization Service Change of Address P.O. Box 7134 London, KY 40742-7134

Reporting a change of address has long been one of the least enforced regulations of the INS. However, under current times it is suggested that all aliens comply with the regulation, especially those seeking additional immigration benefits, including adjustment of status and naturalization.

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What is the Penalty for Failing to Notify the INS of My Change of Address?

Under the law, willful failure to give written notice to the INS of a change of address within ten (10) days of the change is a misdemeanor crime. If convicted, an alien (or parent or legal guardian of an alien under age 14) can be fined up to $200 or imprisoned for up to 30 days, or both. In addition, the alien may be subject to removal from the United States. In addition it may jeopardize an alien’s attempt to seek future immigration benefits from the INS.

NEW CITIZENSHIP TEST

Today, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), announced the launch of a pilot project to standardize the English, government, and United States history tests administered to citizenship applicants. The first phase of the two-stage pilot focuses on the English language portion of the test. The BCIS is working with a professional test development company on the effort.

As part of the English language pilot, consenting citizenship applicants will be asked to answer one test question at the end of their regularly scheduled naturalization interview. The pilot will include questions designed to test reading, writing, and speaking skills. The applicant’s response will not affect the outcome of the interview.

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Five cities are slated to participate in this first phase of the naturalization test pilot - Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Antonio, Atlanta, and Newark. Newark officers who will administer the pilot are being trained and community-based organizations are being told about the test redesign effort.

To qualify for U.S. citizenship, applicants must demonstrate a basic understanding of English, including an ability to read, write, and speak the language. They must also be able to show that they know the fundamentals of U.S. history and government.

Currently, citizenship applicants are quizzed on these topics as part of the naturalization examination interview. The test questions are generally culled from a lengthy pre-approved list, but there is no standardized testing format or method for administering the questions. As a result, the test content and process can vary from officer to officer and from office to office.

The U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan recommended that the naturalization testing process be standardized and that the content be revamped to make it more relevant. The goal is to have a new naturalization test in place by late 2004.

VERMONT SERVICE CENTER PROCESSING TIMES

A number of people wonder when their petition is going to be adjudicated and approved. It almost seems that the BCIS has forgotten or lost your application and trying to find the status of a petition is often difficult and near impossible. To assist you in trying to determine how long it will take to process your petition kindly refer to this chart to determine the approximate processing time for a pending application (These are the processing times for April 1, 2003): CLICK HERE