What the message says on the I-765 form :
It says (CFR 8 274.a.12) C-9 Aliens filing for their (I-485) adjustment of status at the USCIS local office having jurisdiction over their place of residence will file at Chicago. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE EMPLOYMENT BASED CASES.
If you are adjustment of status and c-9 Employment based (I think most of us in these forums) you send the forms to where your I-485 is pending
This is from Murthy.com
Effective as of December 1, 2004, the filing location for certain family-based cases will change for many I-485 (Application for Adjustment of Status), I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization), and I-131 (Application for Travel Document) cases. The change, announced on November 19, 2004, has a two-step phase-in. The first phase begins on December 1, 2004; the second, on April 1, 2005.
This change primarily affects family-based cases; not employment-based cases.WHICH I-485s ARE COVERED?
Family-Based Cases
As stated above, the category most affected is certain family-based I-485s. Neither the labor certification-based I-485s, nor the employment-based special category cases (National Interest Waiver, Extraordinary Ability, Multinational Executive Transferee, and Outstanding Professor / Researcher) are part of this program.
Many MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers have these types of cases.
The changed procedure affects immediate relatives who are filing their I-485s based upon approved, pending, or concurrent I-130 filings. It also includes family-based I-485s for family-preference relatives with approved I-130s and current priority dates, as well as their eligible derivative family members.
Residents of the states listed who are seeking to adjust status to permanent residence after entry as fiancées (including both K-1s and K-3s), as well as the qualifying minor children of such individuals, must file in Chicago as of the dates indicated in the two phase-in programs. The new location must also be used by battered spouses / children filing I-485s based on approved Form I-360s.
Lottery Winners
Another significant category of persons subject to the new procedures is that of visa lottery applicants. It is particularly important for these people to file accurately and at the correct location, as their cases are time-sensitive. Incorrect filings can lead to delays, which may, in turn, mean that such cases will not be approved before the annual September 30th deadline. It should be noted that the Chicago address is used ONLY for the I-485s of the visa lottery winners. It is NOT the address for initial visa lottery applications. As our regular readers are aware, we are currently in the period for filing visa lottery applications.
Miscellaneous Cases
There are a number of miscellaneous categories of I-485 cases that must be filed in Chicago. Some of these are relatively unusual, while others may be more common in particular regions. It is required that filings for these cases also be made in Chicago: Cuban Adjustment Act cases; Registry cases (for persons continuously present since January 1, 1972); beneficiaries of private bills; certain special immigrant categories; certain AmerAsians; specified Polish / Hungarian nationals previously denied refugee status; and qualified Soviet / IndoChinese refugees.
WHICH I-765s SHOULD FILE AT CHICAGO?
The I-765 Application for Employment Authorization for specific, listed categories will need to be filed in Chicago, as well. These include many family-based cases, removal-related cases, and some miscellaneous cases.
Persons filing their I-485s based upon family petitions, who are now required to file with USCIS local offices, will file their I-765s in Chicago from the effective dates indicated above.
Chicago will be the appropriate filing location for I-765s for persons who have been granted withholding of removal, those granted suspension of deportation, persons under orders of supervision following removal, certain detained foreign nationals who are paroled in for emergency / public interest reasons, persons given deferred action, and persons filing under the registry provisions.
WHICH I-131s SHOULD FILE AT CHICAGO?
Eligible persons filing Applications for Travel Documents (I-131s) requesting Advance Parole, who fit the criteria listed for the I-485/I-765 filings described above, must file in Chicago.
ADDRESS FOR FILING
The affected I-485s, I-765s, and I-131s must now be sent either to :
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
P.O. Box 805887
Chicago, Illinois 60680
or, for deliveries that cannot be made to post office boxes :
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
427 S. La Salle, 3rd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60605-1098
