Update, September 29, 2026: The new edition took effect on September 18, 2026. USCIS now accepts only the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, the form used to apply for a green card from inside the United States.See it in the glossary and rejects the 01/20/25 edition, with no grace period. Confirm the current edition on the Form I-485 page before you file.
USCIS issued an alert on 19 August 2026 announcing a revised edition of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, carrying the edition date 09/18/26. It replaces the 01/20/25 edition that everyone filed before that date.
The hard cutoff
USCIS’s announcement provides separate acceptance dates for the two editions, with no overlapping transition period:
- The 01/20/25 edition is accepted only if postmarked or electronically submitted before 18 September 2026.
- The 09/18/26 edition is accepted only if postmarked or electronically submitted on or after 18 September 2026.
Under the announced acceptance rules, the new edition is not accepted early and the old edition is not accepted after the cutoff. Acceptance depends on the filing date, not the preparation date.
USCIS has posted the revised form and its instructions in the Special Instructions section of the Form I-485 page.
What actually changed on the form
Most of Form I-485 is unchanged. The revisions are concentrated in Part 9, which covers public charge, and they exist to feed the new Public chargeA ground of inadmissibility for applicants an officer finds likely at any time to become a public charge. For Form I-485 filings on or after September 18, 2026, USCIS guidance lets officers weigh a wider range of means-tested public benefits, not only cash assistance.See it in the glossary standard that took effect the same day.
One change is a broader public-benefit question. Where the previous edition asked about a defined set of benefits, the new form asks whether the applicant has ever received any means-tested public benefit. An applicant answering yes must then list the benefit, the dates it was received, the dollar amount, and the reason it was needed.
USCIS has also removed much of the detailed explanatory guidance that previously appeared in the Form I-485 instructions. The instructions state that applicants generally do not need to submit initial evidence related to public charge unless specifically required.
Rejection is not denial, but it costs time
A rejection is not a denial and does not go on the record as one. It does mean the package comes back, has to be redone on the correct edition, and refiled. For an application already measured in months, that can mean weeks lost for a reason that has nothing to do with eligibility.
The edition date appears at the bottom of the form, and the USCIS form page identifies which edition is accepted for each filing period.