The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), also known as the Immigration Bureau, announced on Friday (August 14th) that they will be releasing revised versions of Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) and Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) on September 15th.
This revision aims to align with the recently issued final rule on “Establishing Fixed Period of Admission for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Foreign Information Media Representatives and Extension of Stay Procedures.”
The upcoming versions of Form I-539 and Form I-765 will replace the ones issued on August 28, 2024, and August 21, 2025, respectively.
Due to the need for USCIS to use the revised forms to implement the final rule, there will be no grace period for the revised versions of Form I-539 and Form I-765.
In light of the absence of a grace period, USCIS will be providing a preview of the 09/15/26 versions of Forms I-539 and I-765 along with their instructions.
Applicants are reminded not to submit the 09/15/26 versions of these forms before September 15th. USCIS will only accept the 09/15/26 versions stamped with a date of September 15th or later or submitted electronically.
Regarding Form I-539:
– If the Form I-539 with an 08/28/24 version is stamped with a date before September 15th or submitted electronically by that date, USCIS will accept it.
– If the stamp date or electronic submission date for the 08/28/24 version of Form I-539 is on or after September 15th, USCIS will reject it.
– USCIS will only accept the 09/15/26 version of Form I-539 with a stamp dated September 15th or later or submitted electronically starting on that date.
Regarding Form I-765:
– If the Form I-765 with an 08/21/25 version is stamped with a date before September 15th or submitted electronically by that date, USCIS will accept it.
– If the stamp date or electronic submission date for the 08/21/25 version of Form I-765 is on or after September 15th, USCIS will reject it.
– USCIS will only accept the 09/15/26 version of Form I-765 with a stamp dated September 15th or later or submitted electronically starting on that date.
USCIS encourages applicants to visit the Form I-539 and Form I-765 webpages to view the preview versions of the forms for September 15, 2026, along with their instructions.