I am so sorry to report that you can no longer go to your "neighborhood" USCIS office to file your I600 or I600A.
Looks like they have changed things again.
Here's the Tiny URL address:
http://tinyurl.com/NewUSCISOFFICEAGAINand here is the full URL:
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=0179ac5df6b24210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=8d5e901bf9873210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRDAnd here is the Joint Council memo:
Following please find updated information regarding USCIS filing procedures. This information is published through the efforts of the Hague Working Group of which Joint Council is a member. We extend our appreciation to Bill Rosen of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and Stephanie D’Amico of La Vida International for their leadership in crafting the following. We hope you find this update informative and useful.
UPDATE: USCIS Filing Procedures
USCIS has recently made some changes to filing procedures affecting applications for adoption-based immigrant approvals (Forms I-600A, I-600, I-800A, I-800). Two separate procedures have been changed or established:
a) a new lockbox has been established in Lewisville Texas for the filing of I-600A & I-600 Forms;
and b) the previous lockbox facility in Chicago, Illinois that was established for the filing of I-800A & I-800 Forms has now been changed to a new lockbox also in Lewisville Texas.
You will note that the 2 lockboxes in Lewisville are not the same for Hague vs. non-Hague cases.
In a typical international adoption, the filing of the immigration forms generally involves more than just one initial application, rather multiple filings over the course of the entire adoption. As such, the lockbox facility is used for certain, but not all filings.
USCIS has published instructions for the filing of forms and it has also issued a public announcement; and both are available on the USCIS web site at
http://www.uscis.gov/ under the topics of “adoption” and/or “forms”.
However, since adoption cases are often complicated and involve multiple filings over time, we are providing some general pointers that hopefully can guide you appropriately. We hope that this information is helpful to you and provides a better understanding for the circumstances that you frequently encounter.
Disclaimer: The following information does not represent an official notice from the USCIS. The information is not guaranteed to be fully accurate, is subject to change and/or not a complete portrayal of every specific filing associated with an international adoption case.
For purposes of presentation, we have initially organized the information by Hague vs. Non-Hague cases; and then further organized by the location of the filing. At the end of the information, the mailing locations for both lockbox facilities are also provided.
I. Non-Hague cases (I-600A and I-600)A. I-600A filings required to be sent to the Lockbox1. The initial I-600A application along with payment of fee and supporting documentation;
B. I-600A filings required to be sent to the USCIS Field Office
1. Where the initial I-600A application has previously been sent without a home study and the home study is being filed to supplement the I-600A application within 12 months of the date of initial filing;
2. Request For Evidence (RFE) requests associated with an I-600A application;
3. Where a family’s circumstances change and additional information is required to amend a current approved I-600A (which is usually in the form of an updated or amended home study);
4. Where a family requests a change to the country they are approved to adopt from (either with payment of a fee or where a fee is not required) and additional information is required to amend a current approved I-600A;
5. Applications that are timely filed to extend the existing I-600A approval (either with payment of a fee or where a fee is not required);
6. All grandfathering requests and associated filings (with or without payment of a fee);
C. General Summary of I-600A Filing Proceduresa. Only the initial I-600A application is sent to the Texas lockbox; all subsequent filings (including RFE’s, changes in circumstances, changes in countries, extensions), whether the subsequent filing includes payment of a fee or not, are filed with the regional USCIS office responsible for adjudicating the case.
D. I-600 filings required to be sent to the Lockbox
1. I-600 forms requiring payment of a fee (where an I-600A has not been filed and approved); unless the family is residing abroad (in which case, an option exists and is described below);
E. I-600 filings allowed to be sent to optional locations1. I-600 forms requiring payment of a fee where the family is residing abroad may either be filed with the lockbox in TX or with the appropriate U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office abroad that has jurisdiction to accept the petitions from the Potential Adoptive Parent(s) based on their current residence;
2. I-600 forms not requiring payment of a fee may either be filed with the lockbox in TX or with the appropriate U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office abroad that has jurisdiction to accept the petitions as long as the Potential Adoptive Parent(s) have an approved I-600A and are physically present in the country where they are filing;
II. Hague Cases (I-800A and I-800)A. I-800A filings required to be sent to the Lockbox
1. The initial I-800A application along with payment of fee and supporting documentation;
(Dianne's note: I don't see any #2 here. Original goes from #1-#3, skipping #2)
3. Where a family’s circumstances change and additional information is required (which is usually in the form of an updated or amended home study), or if a family decides to change the country they are approved to adopt from, then a Supplement 3 is submitted along with a fee of $340;
4. Applications that are timely filed to extend the current I-800A approval are also filed using a Supplement 3. The first extension is allowed without any fee, and all subsequent extensions require a fee. With or without fee, all Supplement 3 requests are sent to the lockbox;
B. I-800A filings required to be sent directly to the NBC
a. RFE requests associated with an I-800A application;
C. General summary of I-800A filing proceduresa. The initial I-800A application and all subsequent Supplement 3 forms (including changes in circumstances, changes in countries, extensions - whether the subsequent filing includes payment of a fee or not) are sent to the Texas lockbox. Only RFE requests are sent directly to the NBC.
D. I-800 filings required to be sent to the lockbox
1. All I-800 filings are made to the Texas lockbox.
III. Lockbox information
A. I-600A and I-600 AddressesRegular Mail:USCIS
P.O. Box 299027
Lewisville, TX 75029
Express Mail and Courier USCIS
ATTN: Adoption
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
B. I-800A and I-800 Addresses
Regular mailUSCIS
P.O. Box 299008
Lewisville, TX 75029
Express Mail and CourierUSCIS
ATTN: Hague
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
Looks like they gave us exactly one month's notice.
This part sounds like you can still take your renewals to your local office:
"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."I think those are being processed locally.
People starting new adoptions with non-Hague countries are still allowed to use the I600A, so I guess that is what the local offices will do in addition to processing renewals. (But I'm not sure!)
So, you may want to check that with a call first.
Hang in there and hang tough parents-2B!
xo~
Di
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