Form I-485 changes edition on 18 September, with no grace period

USCIS announced on 19 August 2026 that on 18 September 2026 it will publish a revised edition of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, with the edition date 09/18/26, replacing the 01/20/25 edition. USCIS says it is providing a preview of the new edition "because there is no grace period for accepting the revised edition of Form I-485". The cut is on the same day in both directions: USCIS says it will accept the 01/20/25 edition if it is postmarked or electronically submitted before 18 September, will only accept the 09/18/26 edition if it is postmarked or electronically submitted on or after that date, and says "Do not file the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485 before Sept. 18, 2026". USCIS states the form was revised to align with the recently announced public charge ground of inadmissibility final rule.

In force since September 18, 2026

This date is set.

What has not changed

Nothing about who is eligible to adjust status, and nothing about priority dates, the visa bulletin or where a filing goes. The edition change is about which sheet of paper is accepted, not about who may file or what they must prove to qualify. Your existing pending I-485 is unaffected: this applies to filings postmarked or submitted on or after 18 September, not to applications already with USCIS, and you do not need to refile anything. Forms I-539 and I-765 change edition on 15 September and are a separate change, described in their own alert. Filing fees are not changed by this announcement.

What to do

If you are filing an I-485, the only question is which side of 18 September your filing is postmarked or submitted on, and then download the form fresh on the day you file rather than using a copy saved earlier. If your filing is going in around the start of October — which is when employment-based numbers for India become available again for the new fiscal year — you are filing after the switch, so use the 09/18/26 edition. If an attorney or employer is preparing the package, it is worth one message asking which edition they are using.

Next update

On 18 September 2026, when the new edition takes over, or sooner if USCIS adds a grace period as it did for Form I-864.

Sources

OfficialUSCIS to Publish New Edition of Form I-485; Older Editions Will Be Rejected Starting Sept. 18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 19 August 2026
OfficialForm I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust StatusU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — the form and its current edition date