Moving After Applying for Citizenship

Sometimes a foreign national will change their location in the U.S. after filing their application for citizenship but before their interview. Part of citizenship eligibility involves spending at least three months in a certain state or in a USCIS service district before you file an Application for Naturalization (Form N-400). However, you can move during the course of the application process without disrupting it. You might wonder whether you would attend your naturalization interview and naturalization ceremony (if you pass the interview) in your former location or where you live now.

The situation is straightforward if you move after the interview but before the naturalization ceremony. You should notify USCIS about your change of address, and then USCIS will move your file to the office that is closest to your new location. It will reschedule your naturalization ceremony for a different time and place in a location that is closer to where you live now.

Moving Before the Interview Is Scheduled

Regardless of your citizenship application, you must notify USCIS of any change of address within 10 days of your move if you are a legal permanent resident. You can face deportation proceedings based on a violation of immigration law if you do not report your move. You can notify USCIS online or by phone, using the receipt from your citizenship application.

While USCIS is not required to schedule your interview in an office near your new location, USCIS likely will transfer your file to the office closest to your location once you change your address. You will get the notice of interview at your new address, and it will occur at the office in your area. Meanwhile, if you are planning to move before your interview would be scheduled, but you have not yet moved or changed your address, you can ask USCIS to schedule your interview at an office near your future location. This involves contacting that office to tell them about your projected move.

Moving After the Interview Is Scheduled

The first step in this situation is to notify USCIS about your new address. The office that previously scheduled your interview will cancel it and forward your file to the USCIS office near your new location. The new office will schedule the naturalization interview at a different date and time.

If USCIS fails to take your change of address into account and does not cancel your original interview, you can still attend that interview. The USCIS office probably will host that interview without any problems, and then it will transfer your file to the office in your area. If you pass the interview, USCIS will schedule your naturalization ceremony at a location near your new home. In some cases, though, the USCIS office near your old address might refuse to conduct the interview. You might need to wait for your new address to enter the records and for USCIS to schedule a new interview.

Last reviewed October 2023