The University of Tennessee Center for International Education recommended all non-U.S. citizens living in this country complete a change of address form and mail it to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The CIE said the INS has for many decades required all non-U.S. citizens living or staying in the United States to report their new addresses within 10 days of moving. Yet, in the past, even the INS itself largely ignored this law, said the CIE.
CIE Director James Gehlhar said the INS had not contacted them to urge non-U.S. citizens to complete the forms.
“We want people to make sure they comply with the rules so they don’t get a strike against them,” Gehlhar said.
Gehlhar added that by not sending in the form, a person may place a mark on their record that could hurt future applications to re-enter the country five to 10 years from now.
“The forms have been in existence for 40 or 50 years,” he said.
However, the CIE said the increase in security measures following Sept. 11 caused the U.S. State Department to create extra security clearance requirements for visa applicants from almost all of the Muslim countries. The CIE said students from those countries will have to go through a longer security clearance process, with a waiting period of up to 25 days.
The CIE wants all non-U.S. citizens, whether here as permanent residents or in H, J or F immigration status, to download the AR-11 form (change of address) and send it to the Washington, D.C. address listed on the form.
The form is free and can be picked up at the CIE (1620 Melrose Ave.) or downloaded (http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/ar-11.htm).
The CIE said they were sure that this announcement would come as a surprise to most people because few have heard of this law requiring completing the AR-11 form in the past.
Nonetheless, the CIE said this is true across the country. The CIE fears that people who fail to report their addresses could now face immigration problems in the future.
Currently, approximately 1,000 international students from over 110 countries attend UT.
