USCIS will publish revised editions of Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization on September 15. The revised forms implement the recently published final rule ending the long-standing Duration of Status admission framework for F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and representatives of foreign media. Individuals in these statuses will be required to file the I-539 to extend their period of authorized stay moving forward.

The revised forms will go into effect immediately on September 15 without any grace period. To assist applicants and practitioners in preparing for the transition, USCIS has published preview versions of the new forms and instructions.

USCIS will continue to accept the current editions of Form I-539 and I-765 if they are filed or postmarked before September 15. Beginning September 15, USCIS will reject prior editions of these forms and accept only the new 09/15/26 editions.

MU Law Analysis

This announcement is particularly important for:
  • F-1 students filing extension, change of status, OPT, or STEM OPT-related applications;
  • J-1 exchange visitors seeking extensions or changes of status;
  • H-4, L-2, E dependent spouses, and other nonimmigrants filing Form I-539 or Form I-765;
Because USCIS will reject outdated editions without a transition period, employers and applicants should carefully verify that the correct edition is being used for any filing submitted around September 15, 2026. A rejected filing could result in falling out of status, employment authorization issues, or missed filing deadlines.

MU will continue monitoring USCIS guidance regarding implementation of the new Form I-539 and Form I-765 editions and the broader fixed-period admission rule that we will discuss on our upcoming Webinar on August 25 at 2 PM EST. If you have questions about an upcoming filing, please contact your MU attorney.