October 21, 2021
Lockbox Filing Tips
Dear Stakeholder,
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) is sharing the below tips for filing benefit requests at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Lockbox facility.
- Check USCIS’ website for the correct Lockbox mailing address when you are ready to file. USCIS Lockbox filing locations may change periodically to help balance workloads. You can avoid unnecessary delays or even a rejection of your filing by verifying you are using the most up to date mailing address.
- You can find the mailing address and formatting instructions on USCIS’ website in the “Where to File” section of the form you are filing.
- You can subscribe to USCIS’ Forms Updates distribution list to receive an email each time USCIS updates a filing location.
- Label your envelope correctly. Before mailing your completed forms, including resubmitted applications and petitions, or a response to a notice, such as a request for evidence (RFE), to USCIS:
- Make sure your envelope displays the correct mailing address for the form type you are filing with USCIS.
- If responding to an RFE or other notice, make sure the mailing label reflects the USCIS address listed on the notice.
- Use the address format recommended by USCIS. This may include an attention line and a designated “zip code plus four” for your form type. For example: 75266-0864.
- Mail your forms or responses as early as possible. This is especially important if a deadline applies to your filing.
- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recently announced changes to its first-class mail service standards starting October 1, 2021, which means delivery will be slower and may take 5 business days.
- With these slower delivery times in mind, plan to mail your forms to USCIS as early as possible to avoid missing filing deadlines.
- In addition to USPS, you may also submit your forms through FedEx, DHL, or UPS.
More Information
For more information on Lockbox filing locations, please visit USCIS’ Lockbox Filing Location Updates web page.
The CIS Ombudsman is committed to meeting with stakeholders and USCIS to address concerns related to filings at USCIS Lockbox facilities. Additional updates on this topic will be shared by the CIS Ombudsman as appropriate. For more information on our office, please visit our website.
Please complete the CIS Ombudsman Customer Satisfaction Survey. We appreciate your feedback.
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