I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
Alert: On Sept. 11, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a decision that allows DHS to resume implementing the Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility final rule nationwide, including in New York, Connecticut and Vermont. The decision stays the July 29, 2020, injunction, issued during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, that prevented DHS from enforcing the public charge final rule during a national health emergency.
Therefore, we will apply the public charge final rule and related guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volumes 2, 8 and 12, to all applications and petitions postmarked (or submitted electronically) on or after Feb. 24, 2020. If you send your application or petition by commercial courier (for example, UPS, FedEx, or DHL), we will use the date on the courier receipt as the postmark date.
For information about the relevant court decisions, please see the public charge injunction webpage.
Please bring your application support center (ASC) appointment notice (Form I-797C) to your scheduled biometrics appointment. If you filed multiple I-539 applications and received multiple ASC appointment notices, please bring all notices to your first scheduled appointment at the specified ASC.
If you do not bring all of your ASC appointment notices to your first biometrics appointment, USCIS may not be able to associate you with all of your pending ASC appointment notices for your filed I-539 applications.
If you do not bring all ASC appointment notices to your biometrics appointment, you must attend all subsequent ASC biometrics appointments or risk possible denial of your other I-539 applications due to abandonment. See 8 CFR 103.2 (b)(13)(ii).
The following groups use this form:
- Certain nonimmigrants extending their stay or changing to another nonimmigrant status;
- CNMI residents applying for an initial grant of status;
- F and M nonimmigrants applying for reinstatement; and,
- Persons seeking V nonimmigrant status or an extension of stay as a V nonimmigrant.
What This Form Can Help You Do
Form Details
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
For a complete list of mailing addresses, visit our Form I-539 Direct Filing Addresses webpage.
If filing at a Lockbox, please read our filing tips.
Filing Tips for Form I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
Complete all sections of the form. We will reject the form if these fields are missing:
- Part 1 – Information About You
- Family Name
- Mailing Address
- Date of Birth
- Current nonimmigrant status
- Part 2 – Application Type
- I am applying for (1., 2.. or 3.a.)
- The status I am requesting (3.b or 3.c)
- Total number of People Included in This Application.
Filing Tips for Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
- Part 1 – Information About the Person filing Form I-539A
- Family Name
Don’t forget to sign your form! We will reject any unsigned form.
You and each co-applicant must also pay an $85 biometric services fee. Exceptions: Individuals changing into or out of A-1, A-2, A-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 status are not required to submit either the filing fee or the biometric services fee. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.
You may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, or cashier’s check. When filing at a USCIS Lockbox facility, you may also pay by credit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Please note that service centers are not able to process credit card payments.
When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing and biometric service fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request.
View the checklist of required initial evidence.
Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule implementation
Aliens requesting an extension of stay or change of status who are subject to the new public benefit condition do not need to report the receipt of public benefits on Form I-539 if such benefits are received before Feb. 24, 2020. Please read all references to Oct. 15, 2019, as though they refer to Feb. 24, 2020.
| Nonimmigrant Type | Additional Instructions |
|---|---|
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) residents |
|
| B nonimmigrant extension | |
| B1 or B2 nonimmigrants | |
| K-3/4 nonimmigrants |
|
| V nonimmigrants |
|
E-Notification: If you want to receive an email and/or text message that your Form I-539 has been accepted at a USCIS Lockbox facility, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the first page of your application.