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March 24, 2000 INS New Change-of-Address Telephone Service Available Nationwide All Naturalization Applicants Can Now Report a New Address by Phone WASHINGTON As part of the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) ongoing efforts to provide better customer service and improve naturalization processing, naturalization applicants throughout the country can now report a change-of-address by calling a single toll-free number1-800-375-5283instead of submitting the new address by writing the local INS office. Following successful phased-in implementation in Florida, California and 41 additional states, INS is expanding the service to the remaining seven statesNew York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maineachieving nationwide coverage. "The change-of-address initiative for naturalization applicants is an example of our commitment to improving the quality and convenience of our service," said INS Commissioner Doris Meissner. "This new call-in system will help ensure that naturalization applicants who move receive the important time-sensitive notices that affect the processing of their cases. I urge naturalization applicants to take advantage of this new telephone service." Naturalization applicants who move while their application is still pending must report their new address to INS so the agency can notify them of their fingerprinting, interview and oath ceremony appointmentsthree vital steps in the naturalization process. Applicants who do not inform INS of their change-of-address may not receive notice of these important scheduled appointments and, consequently, may risk losing their place in the processing queue or being denied naturalization because they failed to appear. INS has initiated this new service to reduce workloads caused by written submissions of address change information to INS. This sometimes has resulted in applicants failing to respond to an INS notice because it was sent to an incorrect (previous) address. The new call-in service will speed the recording of this vital information in INS naturalization database and overcome adverse effects of address changes on applicants. INS urges all naturalization applicants who have moved to use this new call-in system. Applicants who have already submitted an address change in writing should also call the toll-free number to confirm that INS has their correct address. If INS does not, the agency will correct any past actions that were based on an incorrect addressincluding rescheduling an interview, fingerprinting or oath ceremony appointment, or reopening a case that has been denied because an applicant has failed to appear after submitting a new address to INS. The new call-in service is provided by the INS National Customer Service Centera toll-free telephone service that currently provides basic eligibility and how-to information nationwide. To report a change-of-address, naturalization applicants should call 1-800-375-5283 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (callers local time), Monday through Friday 1. An automated menu of options will direct callers to an INS customer service representative who will take the new address information and ensure that the change-of-address is processed. Callers will need to provide their name, alien number, date of birth and country of birth, as well as their old and new mailing addresses. This service is available in both English and Spanish. INS 1 The change-of-address service is available (Monday through Friday) in Alaska=8 a.m.5 p.m., Hawaii=8 a.m.4 p.m., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands=9 a.m.6 p.m. |
Last Modified 02/20/2003