On February 11, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that beginning Monday, March 11, 2019, significant changes will go into effect specifically relating to Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. The changes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Required use of only revised Form I-539 with an edition date of 02/04/19;
- Replacement of Supplement A (provided within the existing version of Form I-539) with new Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. Every co-applicant listed within the primary applicant’s Form I-539 will be required to submit and sign a separate Form I-539A; (legal guardians may sign on behalf of children under 14);
- In addition to the base filing fee of $370 of Form I-539, every applicant and co-applicant listed within the form must also include an $85 biometric services fee; (limited exceptions apply)
- Regardless of age, every applicant and co-applicant listed within Form I-539 will receive a biometric services appointment notice after filing Form I-539 with USCIS. The notice will instruct the applicant or co-applicant to attend a biometric services appointment at an Applicant Support Center (ASC) closest to the primary applicant’s listed address on Form I-539.
The purpose of Form I-539 is to permit certain qualifying foreign nationals in the U.S. to request a change to another nonimmigrant status (e.g. F-1, J-1, H-4), to extend their existing nonimmigrant status, or to apply for reinstatement in the case of F-1 students who are among the groups required to use the form.
As the announcement makes clear, the new edition date of Form I-539 and new Form I-539A will be published on the USCIS website on March 11, 2019. As such, OIS strongly encourages any international student, employee, or visitor who plans to file Form I-539 and/or I-539A in the upcoming weeks to be mindful of these significant changes taking effect March 11, 2019. Failure to follow these changes will result in USCIS rejecting Form I-539, including those omitting Form I-539A (if applicable), required signature(s), or biometrics fees. For UIC students and dependents in F nonimmigrant status who plan to file Form I-539 in the upcoming weeks, please contact our office if you have specific questions. For all other nonimmigrant classifications who plan to file Form I-539, we encourage you to seek personal legal advice from a qualified immigration attorney if you have questions.
OIS will continue to monitor these changes to filing Form I-539 and will update the UIC international community accordingly. As always, if there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ois@uic.edu or (312) 996-3121..