U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced a new address
for prospective adoptive parents to submit Form I-600,
Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, and Form I-600A,
Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. While the change takes
affect today, applicants have a 30-day transition period before USCIS will return
incorrectly filed petitions.
Applicants were previously required to file at a local USCIS field office. The
Direct Mail Program allows USCIS to process applications more efficiently by
eliminating duplicative work, and maximizing staff productivity.
Beginning today, applicants in the United States, who are filing to adopt
an orphan, must submit Forms I-600, I-600A, and all supporting documents and
fees to the following address:
Regular Mail:
USCIS
P.O. Box 299027
Lewisville, TX 75029
Express Mail and Courier Service deliveries:
USCIS
ATTN: Hague
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
USCIS will forward incorrectly-filed Forms I-600A and I-600, application fees
and supporting documents to the Lewisville, Texas facility for the 30 days,
until Friday November 6, 2009. Forwarded applications will be considered properly
filed when received at the Lewisville, Texas facility.
Beginning Monday November 9, USCIS will return to the applicant any Form
I-600 or I-600A, and supporting documents, incorrectly submitted to a USCIS
office in the United States. The applicant will be instructed to mail the
application to the Lewisville, Texas address. However, applicants may continue
to file extensions of approved Forms I-600A at their local USCIS field office.
More information is available on the revised form instructions.
Prospective adoptive parents, who reside abroad, may continue to file the
Form I-600A with a USCIS international office, or they may send the petition
to the Lewisville, Texas address if they have an address in the United States
they plan to return to.
U.S. citizens outside the United States may continue to file the Form I-600
at a U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate or USCIS office abroad that has jurisdiction
to accept the petition. However, in order to file a Form I-600 petition abroad,
the petitioner must have an approved Form I-600A and be physically present in
the country where they are filing.
