USCIS to Close Moscow Office on March 29, 2019

USCIS made the following announcement today regarding its Moscow field office:

Due to a significant decrease in workload, USCIS will permanently close its field office in Moscow, Russia, on March 29, 2019. The last day the office will be open to the public and accepting applications is Feb. 28, 2019. The USCIS field office in Athens, Greece, will assume jurisdiction over immigration matters in the Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.  The U.S. Embassy in Moscow will assume responsibility for certain limited services previously provided by USCIS to individuals residing in Russia (see table below). The USCIS Refugee Affairs Division will assume primary responsibility for adjudicating refugee cases presented for interview in the region.

Beginning on March 1, 2019, individuals who live in the aforementioned countries must follow these filing instructions:

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, Petition for Alien Relative

File your petition by mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Chicago. You can find additional filing information on the Form I-130 Web page.

USCIS may authorize the Department of State to accept a petition filed with a U.S. embassy in some limited circumstances,

Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation)

If you are a lawful permanent resident (LPR) who has lost your LPR card and/or re-entry permit and you need travel documentation to return to the U.S., you can file your Form I-131A with any U.S. embassy consular section or USCIS international field office. 

Form I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status

Form I-407 may be submitted by mail to the nearest USCIS international field office.  

In rare circumstances, a U.S. embassy or U.S. consulate without a USCIS international field office may allow you to submit a Form I-407 in person if you need immediate proof that you have abandoned your lawful permanent resident status.

Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition

You must file your petition with the Nebraska or Texas Service Center, depending on where you live in the United States.

For beneficiary interviews/processing, contact the U.S. embassy consular section in the country where the beneficiary resides.

Form N-400, Application for Naturalization

If you are a member of the U.S. military and are stationed overseas, please see the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization page or call 800-375-5283 for the most current filing instructions. USCIS will forward the application to the appropriate international field office for processing. For qualified children of active-duty service members stationed abroad, the proper form to file is the N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322

U.S. Embassy MoscowGeneral information about the U.S. Embassy Moscow is available on the embassy website. You may also contact the embassy by calling 011-7 (495) 728-5000 or by mailing:

Bolshoy Deviatinksy Pereulok No. 8

Moscow 121099

Russian Federation 

For more information on the services USCIS provides in the region, please contact the USCIS field office in Athens.