My sweetie and I are planning an extended visit with his father in FL, and i was wondering if we could forward mail and if USCIS mail would also go.
I know that sometimes government mail does not get forwarded...or is that only to a different country??

hepl! LOL
Sorry, that was cute..you must have been typing very fast!!!

I don't know that information hon but I'm sure someone can help you!

Maybe phone/visit the post office?

You're in AOS, now, so I do believe the "Do Not Forward" notation is not on the USCIS envelopes.... they're completely blank except for your address. But don't quote me on that for I do not have proof. Last I saw my immigration documents they were floating out to sea.

First off my heart goes out to you and your DH's family. I only hope that your FIL's condition improves sufficiently that your concerns are assuaged, even if it is only for a short time. The USPS has given me nothing but fits and it is frequently up to the individual letter carrier if government mail gets sent back or delivered to an alternate address (even in the US). If you know your letter carrier, then he or she might keep an eye on the mail for you. If you have an idea how long you will be away (sorry that sounds terribly crass, take as long as you need ), then you might be able to place a hold on the mail. The USPS will hold the mail for 30 days. The best option is to have a neighbour collect the mail. You have my sincerest and humblest supplications for an improvement in your FIL's prognosis.

The thing is, during the AOS process, the USCIS mail comes with no originator information on the envelope. In fact, many of us have almost round-filed them as junk mail because they look so innocuous. But the hold-mail point is a good option if one or both of you are planning to return home within 30 days.

The envelope from USCIS has "Return Service Requested" on it. This means post office will not forward. They might, however, hold it for you.

Proving, once again, that I am always full of # keys. (Nothing personal, Eau. Just having fun with something. )

One thing, though..... with no return address on the AOS correspondence.... where, exactly, is USPS going to return it to?

You should go into politics.

The mail will be returned to the place where all government correspondence orginates from and is sent to Menda-city, Maryland.

Actually, my green card arrived in an envelope that did not have 'return service reqeusted' or any such thing on it. It was completely blank with only my name, address and postal stamped - no return address, nothing else.

To be on the safe side, why don't you get a few envelopes and have them pre-stamped and addressed, and have your neighbour check your mail once a week and unless it's junk mail, or bills, have them mail everything else to you.

Sending good thoughts and prayers for your FIL.

Thank you all for your experience with this kinda shtuff.

And yes, Laura, I spelled help like that on purpose...cultivating my natural dyslexia. Ha!
If you say it out loud: HEPL HEPL!! it is fun and a bit less serious. Like I'm not drowning or anything.

Thank you so very kindly much Mumsie for your sweet and loving sentiments.
I wonder how long he will choose to suffer (be in pain) before he lets go.
Hmmmm...
I always think of the light that people see when they die for a fe minutes and get resurrected.
If any of you watched this video (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/229) I had posted somewhere, then you'll understand why death is meaningless to me. It is simply a passing. The sad part is the suffering from the ill and from the loved ones hurting emotionally. Oh sigh....

We cannot kill energy.

Love is dimensionless.

Oh yeah and about the mail situation, I will take allo of what you all said under advisement...and then I will borrow (steal) Laura's invisible helicopter and bomb up here for a quickie jaunt. Ha!
Or I may just borrow one of the multitude of available vehicles and drive up and back. I love road trips.

We moved after our Biometrics appointment and submitted our change of address to USCIS on line and had the post office forward alll mail from our previous address. They never did change our address for our GC because it was out to the service center so our GC ended up going to our old address.. And the post office forwarded it along no problems. there was nothing written on the GC envelope at all and I thought it was junk mail except it was from CA and I KNEW that's where my GC was coming from!

About a week before the GC came through we got the "your GC has been approved" sent to us to our old address.. I panicked because I thought if the GC has "return service requested" on it, then it may not be forwarded. I phone the 1800 unhelpful line and they basically told me that because I changed my address while the GC was in the Service Center that they didn't get the updated address that I sent in and that I was just out of luck and to call back in (I can't remember how many days).. Anyway I panicked for the next week but along came my GC forwarded from the post office to our new address no worries!!

Not taking it personally Crikey! With USCIS it's hard to say what is right or not.

It's interesting how we are getting different envelope types. Did they print too many of an old style and had to use them up?