BUHAY AMERICA TIPS:New Mailing Address for N-400 (US Citizenship) Applications

Beginning October 14, 2008, if you are planning to submit an N-400 (US citizenship) application, there's a new Lockbox address to send it to. (Military N-400 cases are still to be submitted at the Nebraska Service Center.)

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) will forward to the appropriate Lockbox any N-400 applications received at their facilities during the 30-day transition period.

The N-400 form instructions have been updated to reflect the new filing procedures. OTHER UPDATES to be found on the new form: Applicants are required to submit two passport-style photographs and a copy of the Permanent Resident Card for applicants who are lawful permanent residents.

Starting on October 14, applicants must submit Form N-400 and related supplements to one of two new USCIS Lockbox facilities for initial processing, using the following addresses:

Per USCIS: "Since 1998, Form N-400, Applications for Naturalization, have been filed at the four Service Centers. The Service Centers completed initial processing on the cases before the cases were forwarded to the local USCIS Field Offices for interviews. During 2008, the processing of N-400s is undergoing change through a two-step process. First, N-400 cases were transferred internally, by the Service Centers to the National Benefits Center (NBC). The NBC, located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, began to accept N-400 cases from the Service Centers in June 2008. During the time that the first step was taken, there was no change to where the applicants filed their applications.

The Federal Register Notice begins the second step of the process, requiring the public to file their applications directly with a Lockbox facility beginning October 14, 2008. Each Lockbox facility will scan the documents submitted and complete the data entry and fee processing steps before forwarding accepted applications on to the NBC for further processing. The NBC will not accept any N-400 filings mailed directly from the public."

Helpful Info:
Click on Application for Naturalization (N-400) if you need a form. Application Fees: $595 plus a biometrics fee of $80; the fee total is $675. Applicants 75 years of age or older are not charged a biometric fee; their fee total is $595. No fee is required for military applicants filing under Section 328 and 329 of the INA. Forms dated 10/15/07, 07/30/07, 11/01/06, 05/31/01 can be used. No other editions accepted.