The filing address for Form I-765 depends on your eligibility category, and for some categories on the state where you live. USCIS routes paper applications to different Lockbox facilities around the country and publishes the current assignments on its Direct Filing Addresses page. Because those assignments change periodically, check the official page within a day or two of mailing.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
What Determines Where You Mail Your I-765
Your eligibility category is the primary factor. Each category code on the I-765 maps to a specific Lockbox, and USCIS maintains a table matching categories to addresses. A (c)(8) applicant with a pending asylum case files at a different Lockbox than a (c)(9) applicant adjusting status through a family-based I-485. Some categories route every applicant to the same address; others split applicants by state of residence.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
For several categories, including (c)(9) adjustment-of-status applicants, the Lockbox assignment depends on where you live. USCIS groups states into four Lockbox zones — Phoenix, Elgin, Chicago, and Dallas — on a separate chart. Your neighbor in the same eligibility category but a different state might mail to a completely different facility.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Non-Family-Based Forms
Can You File Online Instead
Some applicants don’t need a mailing address at all. USCIS allows online filing for certain I-765 categories through a USCIS online account, and the list of eligible categories has been expanding. F-1 students applying for Optional Practical Training under categories (c)(3)(A), (c)(3)(B), and (c)(3)(C) can file online, along with several other category groups. Filing online avoids the address question entirely, flags common errors before you submit, and gives you immediate confirmation.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Benefits of a USCIS Online Account
If your category doesn’t appear in the online filing options when you sign into your USCIS account, you have to file by paper mail. Confirm your category’s current online eligibility on the USCIS I-765 page before assembling a paper package.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
Where the Lockboxes Are
USCIS runs Lockbox facilities in cities including Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, and Elgin, Illinois. Which one gets your package depends entirely on the eligibility category (and, where applicable, state) tables described above. As an example, category (c)(8) applicants with a pending asylum case currently file at the Dallas Lockbox.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
Don’t lock in an address from a friend’s case, a forum post, or even a USCIS printout you saved last year. Assignments shift. The only reliable move is checking the Direct Filing Addresses page right before you drop the envelope in the mail.
USPS Address vs. Courier Address
Each Lockbox has two addresses, and they are not interchangeable. There’s a P.O. Box for deliveries by the U.S. Postal Service and a separate physical street address for commercial couriers like FedEx, UPS, or DHL. Using the wrong format for your chosen shipping method can cause the package to bounce back. Pick your carrier first, then copy the matching address off the USCIS page.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
Filing the I-765 With Another Form
If your work authorization request rides along with another application, the companion form controls where the whole package goes. Filing an I-765 alongside an I-485 adjustment of status application, for example, means you send everything to the address specified for the I-485, not the standalone I-765 address.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
This applies whether you’re filing concurrently with an I-485, an I-589 asylum application, or another qualifying form. Look up the companion form’s filing address on its own USCIS page and treat the I-765 as a passenger.
How to Verify the Current Address
USCIS periodically reassigns categories among Lockboxes, so an address that was correct a few months ago may have changed. Before mailing:
- Open the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765 page on uscis.gov.
- Find your eligibility category in the table. If your category depends on state of residence, cross-reference the Lockbox Filing Locations Chart.
- Copy the address that matches your shipping method — the P.O. Box if you’re using USPS, the street address if you’re using a courier.
- If you’re filing concurrently with another form, ignore the I-765 address and follow the companion form’s filing instructions instead.
Ship with tracking. Certified Mail with return receipt or a commercial courier with tracking gives you a confirmed delivery date, which matters if USCIS later disputes when your filing arrived.
What Happens If You Send It to the Wrong Address
Lockbox staff perform a quick intake review before your application reaches an adjudicator. A package sent to the wrong facility, or with a courier’s package delivered to a P.O. Box address (or vice versa), can be rejected and mailed back. That costs weeks. The rejection isn’t the only wrong-address risk: an unsigned form, a mismatched form edition, an incorrect fee, or a payment method USCIS no longer accepts will also bounce a package back, so the intake filters at your chosen Lockbox are worth taking seriously.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
Category (c)(8) asylum applicants face an extra timing trap on top of the address question: USCIS may reject an I-765 filed before the 150-day waiting period after the asylum application has elapsed. Even a day too early means starting over.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
If You Move After Filing
The filing address gets your package into the system; a separate address — yours — determines where USCIS sends everything back. If you move after mailing your I-765, you’re required to notify USCIS within 10 days. Federal law imposes this obligation on nearly all noncitizens in the United States, and failing to update your address means correspondence, including your biometrics appointment notice and the EAD card itself, goes to the wrong place.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 10 – Changes of Address
Update your address online through your USCIS account or by filing Form AR-11. If you already have a pending case, also contact the service center handling your application so the new address is linked to your receipt number. A missed biometrics appointment because mail went to your old address can stall the case for months.
After the Package Is Delivered
If you clipped Form G-1145 to the front of your package, you should receive a text message or email once the Lockbox accepts it.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance Within about 10 days of acceptance, USCIS mails a paper receipt notice (Form I-797C) with your unique receipt number, which you can use to track the case through Case Status Online.7USCIS. Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance If neither the electronic notification nor the paper receipt shows up within a few weeks of your tracking confirmation of delivery, that’s a signal to follow up with USCIS before assuming the filing is on track.