US visa forms to change from September 15, no grace period

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will introduce revised versions of Form I-539 and Form I-765 from September 15, 2026. No grace period will be granted for outdated forms, and submissions using older editions after the deadline will be rejected outright, according to both timesnownews.com and hindustantimes.com.

Form I-539, used by eligible non-immigrants to extend or change their status, and Form I-765, the application for an Employment Authorization Document, will each have a new edition dated 09/15/26. Hindustan Times reports the changes comply with a recently finalised USCIS regulation setting defined admission periods for academic students, exchange visitors, and foreign media representatives.

The change is particularly relevant to Indian H-1B families and the hundreds of thousands of Indian international students in the US, many of whom hold F-1 visas and use these forms for optional practical training or status changes. Preview copies of the revised forms are available on the USCIS website, but must not be submitted before September 15. Applications postmarked before that date can still use the current versions.