What To Do If You Move Before You Get Your US Green Card

Applying for a US green card is an important step. It allows you to enjoy all the benefits of a permanent resident, including the right to live and work permanently in the US. If you qualify for a US green card, you want to ensure that you get that document in the mail. Unfortunately, applying for a green card can take some time. If you move during any point in the process, it is important to keep the USCIS informed so that you can get your green card and so that no one else at your old address is able to get your green card.

If you have already heard from the USCIS that your green card application has been accepted, but you have moved since you received your welcome notice, you will need to inform the USCIS, since the USCIS will mail your green card to the same address they have sent your welcome notice. Your best option is to call USCIS customer service at 1-800-375-5283 as soon as you realize you will be moving before you get your green card. You will want to call the same number if 30 days have passed by since you became a permanent resident but you have not received your welcome notice. If you have received a welcome notice but 30 days have passed and you have not yet received a green card. If you have questions about permanent residency status or feel that you may have gotten green card or welcome notice in error, you may also want to contact the customer service number.

At any point, if you move you will want to contact the USCIS to ensure that your green card gets to you. Contacting the USCIS can also ensure that you are less likely to become a victim of identity theft if someone at your old address opens your mail. While waiting for your green card, it is also important not to move outside the US. Taking up residence outside the US can make it hard for you to return to the US if you do not have your official green card. Moving outside the US can even affect your status or your ability to apply for US citizenship eventually. In fact, until you get your physical green card you will not want to leave the US without additional supporting documentation, as it may hard for you to re-enter.