Form I-829 Is Now Filed With USCIS Lockbox Facility

On August 13, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has changed the filing location for the Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status [PDF version of news release]. A petitioner (and derivatives) who obtain immigrant visas through the employment-based fifth preference (immigrant investor) category become conditional permanent residents. The purpose of Form I-829 is to petition for the removal of conditions on their permanent residency.

The filing location for the Form I-829 was previously the California Service Center. Starting on August 13, 2018, petitioners instead must send the Form I-829 to a USCIS Lockbox Facility. Notwithstanding the change in the Form I-829 filing location, the Form I-829 will continue to be adjudicated by the Immigrant Investor Program Office. The Form I-829 page on the USCIS website specifies the Dallas (TX) Lockbox Facility.

The Form I-829 must be filed with fee. The current fee for the Form I-829, as of August 14, 2018, is now $3,750 (not including $85 biometric services fee). Form I-829 petitioners have the following payment options when sending the form to a USCIS Lockbox Facility: Money order, personal check, cashier's check, or credit card. We discussed the availability of the credit card payment option for USCIS Lockbox Facility forms in a separate article [see article]. In order to pay by credit card, the petitioner must also submit the Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions.

Immigrant investors should consult with an experienced immigration attorney for guidance on the requirements for the removal of conditions and filing the Form I-829. We cover the removal of conditions [see category] and investment immigration [see category] on site.