USCIS announced on 14 August 2026 that it will publish revised editions of Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, on 15 September 2026. Both carry the edition date 09/15/26.
The revisions implement the DHS final rule replacing duration of status with fixed admission periods for F, J and I nonimmigrants, which takes effect the same day.
The filing windows
There is no grace period. USCIS says the revised editions are necessary to apply the final rule, so the switch happens in one day.
- Form I-539: the 08/28/24 edition is accepted only if submitted before 15 September 2026. The 09/15/26 edition is accepted only on or after that date.
- Form I-765: the 08/21/25 edition is accepted only if submitted before 15 September 2026. The 09/15/26 edition is accepted only on or after that date.
Preview versions of both forms and their instructions are already posted on the USCIS Form I-539 and Form I-765 pages. They cannot be filed early.
Why this reaches more people than the student rule does
Form I-539 is the obvious one. F and J holders will use it to request the extensions of stay that the new admission framework creates.
Form I-765 is the wider net. It is the employment authorization application, used by a far broader group than students: F-1 students applying for OPT and STEM OPT extensions, J-2 dependents, and adjustment of status applicants requesting an Employment Authorization Document while a Form I-485 is pending, among many others. Someone with no connection to the duration of status rule can still have their EAD application rejected for using an edition that was current when they downloaded it.
If you file Form I-539 with a spouse or children, the package includes Form I-539A for each additional household member. The same edition rules apply to the whole package.
The practical habit worth building
Every USCIS form prints its edition date at the bottom of each page, and each form’s webpage lists the edition currently accepted. An edition mismatch is one of the most common reasons an otherwise complete application is rejected, in any season. September 2026 has three separate no-grace-period form changes landing within four days of each other, so check the date immediately before you submit rather than when you start preparing.
