Change Home Address While EAD Pending with USCIS?

USCIS will send your EAD card to your old address if you change your mailing address after the EAD approval.

Make sure that you change your address online before the application status changes to ‘new card is being produced‘ or ‘Card sent for production‘.

If you notify USCIS of address change after this status, USCIS will send your H4 EAD, L2 EAD, and i485 card including others to the old address only.

How to Update Address on USCIS Website?

You can update your new address online on the USCIS website by filling out the AR-11 form. As per USCIS rule, any US visa holder should update their address within 10 days of moving to the US.

You will need:

• EAD Receipt Number (Only for pending cases)
• The old Address was given on your I-765 form
• New Address

The address will be updated within 1 day if you file online. Make sure that you update it before your EAD card is approved.

You cannot update your address online if you do not have your EAD receipt number.

Real-Life Experience – Card Sent Back

Sharing the experience as shared by one of our guests.

#1 H4 EAD approved before Address Change

With the H1B job change, we applied for H4 EAD as well.

On July 25, the H4 EAD application status changed to ‘Ready for Production’ status. By that time, I was still in my old house and about to move to a new house on Aug 1.

#2 Mail Forward Set up, USCIS address Change

I scheduled USPS address forwarding effective Aug 1 to a new address.

After this, I called USCIS and they instructed me to submit an address change request to get the card sent to a new address. I did as they instructed but USCIS still sent EAD card to an old address on Aug 5.

I was able to request my old apartment to give my friend mailbox keys but USPS did not even deliver to the old address either.

USPS forwards USCIS notifications emails but not EAD cards. Since USPS had the forwarding set up, they did not even bother to deliver it at the old address mailbox.

#3 USPS sends H4 EAD back to USCIS

After 15 days, finally, it was sent back to USCIS. I called USCIS and they said level 2 will call back for a re-sending card. They called within 2 hours and took my request and said it will take 30-150 days to resend.

#4 EAD card Received at new Address

I was surprised but couldn’t get him to resend it earlier. After a few days, I called them back and this time, I was able to persuade him to expedite my request as a job is at stake with no EAD in hand.

They expedited and then got the H4 EAD card in a week.

#5 Cannot Work Until Card is Received

I got the I-765 approval doc forwarded to my new address though but as per the attorney (RNLAW), one cannot work with I-765 and has to work with only EAD physically in hand. Even though I 765 has the same details as EAD, we cannot work as per the attorney.

There is no automatic 180 extension available for H4 and L2 EAD to allow them to work on receipt.

Please note that USCIS support can only work on resending requests in the morning. So, call in the early hours.

Update H4 EAD address If Application filed By Attorney?

It depends on what mailing address you have given in your I-765 application form. If it is an attorney’s address for card delivery, then there is no need to change it as you are moving and not your attorney.

If you have your own address for card delivery, then you can change the address online yourself without asking the attorney to do it.

EAD Card for Immigrants

If you are entering the US on an immigrant visa, USCIS will mail your Green Card to the mailing address in the United states that you provided at the time of your immigrant visa interview or when you entered the USA.

If you move after you arrive in the U.S., please update your address. The Form Number used for an address change on a USCIS Immigrant Fee payment is “IVF” or “OS155A”.