News Update - May 2, 2009

By Alan Lee, Esq.

New Instructions for Filing Form I-90, the Application to Replace Permanent Resident Cards

When filing Form I-90 by mail the applicant must now submit supporting documents with their application instead of bringing them to the biometrics appointment. Also, the application must be sent to the USCIS Lockbox facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The address is as follows:

USCIS
P.O. Box 21262
Phoenix, AZ 85036

For Express Mail or Courier Service use:
USCIS
Attn: I-90
1820 Skyharbor, Circle S Floor 1
Phoenix, AZ 85034

This notice is effective on April 28, 2009.

This change applies to all I-90 Forms filed by paper, including applicants filing because they never received their previously issued card or their existing card has an incorrect date. It does not apply to I-90 applicants who file electronically or who live outside the United States.
During the first 30 days of this change, all I-90 forms sent to the wrong address will be forwarded to the Phoenix Lockbox facility. After this transaction period, all I-90 forms sent within the next 90 days by regular mail to the old address (USCIS Los Angeles Lockbox) will be forwarded to the Phoenix Lockbox facility. Applications sent by courier service will not be forwarded and will be returned to the courier service. All I-90 applications filed at a USCIS Service Center will be rejected without prejudice and returned to the applicant with a note indicating the correct filing location. If an application is mailed without supporting documents the applicant will receive a Request for Evidence (RFE) Notice with instructions on where to submit these documents. Form I-90 can still be filed electronically.


The author is a 26+ year practitioner of immigration law based in New York City. He was awarded the Sidney A. Levine prize for best legal writing at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1977 and has written extensively on immigration over the past years for the ethnic newspapers, World Journal, Sing Tao, Pakistan Calling, Muhasha and OCS. He has testified as an expert on immigration in civil court proceedings and was recognized by the Taiwan government in 1985 for his work protecting human rights. His article, "The Bush Temporary Worker Proposal and Comparative Pending Legislation: an Analysis" was Interpreter Releases' cover display article at the American Immigration Lawyers Association annual conference in 2004, and his victory in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a case of first impression nationwide, Firstland International v. INS, successfully challenged INS' policy of over 40 years of revoking approved immigrant visa petitions under a nebulous standard of proof. Its value as precedent, however, was short-lived as it was specifically targeted by the Administration in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004.

This article © 2009 Alan Lee, Esq.

 

Copyright © 2003-2012 Alan Lee, Esq.
The information provided here is of a general nature and may not apply to any particular set of facts or circumstances. It should not be construed as legal advice and does not constitute an engagement of the Law Office of Alan Lee or establish an attorney-client relationship.