USCIS Issues A Significantly Revised Form I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status

Last Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a significantly revised Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. This application is used to change or extend the status of dependents of individuals in H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN and several other statuses. With the introduction of this new form, all applicants submitting an I-539 will now be required to attend a biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center, to be scheduled after the filing. As of March 22, USCIS will accept the new Form I-539 only with an additional $85 biometrics fee.

In the past, I-539 extension and change of status applications, submitted concurrently with a principal petition using the Premium Processing service, would be adjudicated within the same 15-day time period as the principal petition. USCIS has advised that this will no longer be possible because of wait times associated with scheduling a biometrics appointment.  Instead, I-539 applications