USCIS 2026 Alert: New Form I-539 & I-765 Required — Old Editions Rejected Sept. 15

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the publication of new editions of two critical immigration forms: Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) and Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization). Applicants are advised to begin using the new editions as soon as they become available. Effective September 15, 2025, USCIS will no longer accept older editions of these forms. Any application submitted using a superseded edition after this date will be rejected outright — without the opportunity for a Request for Evidence (RFE) or other corrective notice. This represents a hard deadline with no grace period. For EB-3 applicants and those in employment-based immigration pathways, Form I-765 is particularly important, as it is used to obtain or renew Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). Submitting the wrong edition could cause significant delays in work authorization status, affecting income and legal employment eligibility. Applicants currently preparing filings should verify they are using the most current edition of any USCIS form before submission. Form editions are listed in the lower-left corner of each page. USCIS recommends downloading forms directly from uscis.gov rather than using saved copies, which may be outdated. Immigration attorneys and legal representatives should audit their form libraries ahead of the September 15 deadline. Failing to use the correct form edition is a common and entirely avoidable reason for application rejection under USCIS's current rejection-without-RFE policy framework.