How to Change Your Address
change of address · 10 days · USCIS online account · AR-11
Source reviewed 2026-10-01A new apartment can create an old-order problem if the court never learns about it
You Moved. Updating USPS Is Not Enough for an Immigration Case.
How USCIS and EOIR address updates differ, why immigration-court cases require their own EOIR-33 filing, and how missed notices can turn a simple move into a procedural crisis.
Direct answer
Short answer
USCIS and EOIR are separate systems. USCIS generally requires covered noncitizens to report an address change within 10 days, subject to stated exceptions. EOIR requires a respondent with a court or BIA case to update contact information within five working days. Updating USPS or USCIS does not substitute for updating the immigration court or BIA.
On this page
USCIS has its own address-change process
USCIS currently encourages use of the online change-of-address tool and warns that changing an address with USPS does not change it with USCIS. Pending receipt numbers should be tied to the update where the system requires them.
Immigration court requires a separate EOIR update
EOIR currently requires address or contact changes within five working days. Court cases use EOIR-33/IC; Board cases use EOIR-33/BIA. Each affected person needs a separate update.
Missed mail can become a missed hearing
A move does not erase the obligation to protect hearing dates and government deadlines. If a hearing notice went to an old address, service, notice, prior filings, and address-reporting history may become central to any later reopening analysis.
Keep proof that the address was changed in the right system
Save electronic confirmations, filed forms, mailing proof, service copies, receipt numbers, and the date of the move. “I changed it online somewhere” is a weak record when an in absentia order already exists.
Questions people actually ask
Frequently asked questions
Does changing my address with USPS update USCIS?
No. USCIS expressly states that USPS address changes do not change the address in USCIS systems.
Does changing my address with USCIS update immigration court?
No. EOIR requires its own contact-information update for court or BIA cases.
Can one EOIR-33 cover my whole family?
EOIR says a separate form must be submitted for each person with a pending case affected by the change.
Authority and current-source review
Official sources supporting this page
These links identify primary or official materials used to control material legal and procedural statements. They are not a substitute for advice about a particular matter.
Update Respondent or Alien Information
EOIR-33 · five working days · immigration court · BIA
Source reviewed 2026-10-01The next useful move
Start with the record, not the rumor
Bring the notices, filings, identity documents, court papers, travel history, criminal records if relevant, and the next deadline. The legal answer often turns on one date, one prior order, or one document that a headline cannot see.
Important legal and service limitations
General U.S. immigration information only. This page is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not guarantee eligibility, admission, approval, release, status, citizenship, or any other result.