OPT Address Errors, Moving, and Updated Documents While I-765 Is Pending

Quick answer

If you discover a missing apartment number or move while OPT is pending, use USCIS's address-update process and keep confirmation. Updating USPS alone does not update USCIS. Also inform your school through its reporting process. An address omission is a delivery risk, but a community timeline cannot establish that it caused a skipped or delayed case. USCIS change-of-address announcement.

If the application is still pending

1. Compare the mailing address in your application, USCIS account, and receipt notice. Check apartment/unit, ZIP code, recipient name, and any care-of information.
2. Use the official USCIS address-change page and identify the pending cases that need the update.
3. Save the confirmation and check the case-specific information. A general account profile change should not be assumed to update every pending filing.
4. Update your school/SEVP information through the appropriate channel and retain that confirmation separately.
5. If the change is urgent or cannot be completed online, follow the USCIS contact instructions for your situation.

If you received a new I-20

Ask the DSO whether the new document needs to be provided to USCIS and which parts of the record changed. Check the instructions for your filing and the available account upload process. Label any explanatory note with the real dates and purpose of the update. Do not submit an incorrect document just to create a new account timestamp.

One person's approval after an upload does not prove that additional evidence never delays a case. Another person's long wait does not prove the upload caused a delay. Continue using the same-date lookup as context, not a diagnosis.

If the EAD is already produced or mailed

Separate the USCIS address update from the carrier delivery problem. Record the production date, tracking number when available, shipment date, and current tracking event. Contact the appropriate agency or carrier based on those facts; do not assume a forwarding request guarantees delivery of an immigration document. Use the card not delivered guide for the next steps.

New passport, old entry record

Keep both passports and the associated entry record. Do not rewrite a historical entry with the new passport number. Review the current Form I-765 instructions and ask the DSO how to document a renewal for the fields and evidence requested in your case. A short dated explanation can help identify which passport was used for entry and which is current, when that explanation is appropriate.

This FAQ is about organizing accurate evidence; it is not an instruction to upload both passports in every application. USCIS Form I-765 and instructions.

Related planning

• EAD delivery milestones
• Approval, production, and receipt planning
• SEVP account access issues

Reviewed October 5, 2026. Keep address confirmations and document versions; follow the current agency instructions for your case.