In a March 5, 2012 new alert, USCIS announced that it "has resumed sending the original I-797 receipt and approval notices to the attorney or accredited representative listed on the Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, and copies to the applicant or petitioner. All Forms I-129 currently being filed should list the petitioner’s address as the mailing address. This change should prevent any future delays in VIBE and will allow premium processing customers to submit petitions without enclosing a postage pre-paid envelope."
Background
"On Sept. 12, 2011, USCIS began sending original I-797 receipt and approval notices directly to applicants and petitioners who were represented by attorneys or accredited representatives. After receiving feedback from the public and USCIS stakeholders, USCIS decided to return to its prior practice of sending the original I-797 receipt and approval notice to the applicant or petitioner’s attorney or accredited representative and resumed mailing such notices in January 2012."
"On Sept. 30, 2011, USCIS established an interim process for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, that allowed attorneys or representatives to enter their address as the mailing address, ensuring that they would receive the original I-797 notices. With our return to the original process, the attorney or representative no longer needs to enter his or her address as the mailing address in order to receive the original I-797 notices."
The return to the original policy had been announced on October 20, 2011 by USCIS Director Alexander Mayorkas, who stated,
"A year ago, USCIS initiated an internal system change that altered where we send receipt notices (I-797). Last month, when the change went into effect, we heard from stakeholders that this change had an unintended negative external impact. We scheduled a stakeholder meeting, gained an understanding of the impact, and have decided to return to our previous practice of sending the original notice to the attorney or accredited representative’s address listed on the Form G-28. A copy will be sent to the address provided by the applicant or petitioner in the applicable form. This change will take effect in approximately six weeks due to the need to re-program our system. We appreciate the feedback you provided."