USCIS will switch Form I-485 to the 09/18/26 edition on September 18, 2026, and the older form will be rejected after that date. No grace period.
The cutoff covers paper and online filings. Timing decides everything. A mailed packet turns on the postmark. An electronic filing turns on the submission date. The form version has to match that clock.
Applicants who file before then should keep using the 01/20/25 edition. After the switch, the wrong version gets bounced. The agency gives no overlap at the boundary.
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The public charge section sits at the center of the rewrite. USCIS says the update aligns the form with the new rule that takes effect the same day. The agency says the revision tracks that framework, not immigrant-category eligibility rules. That is the hinge.
USCIS put the warning plainly in its alert: “Do not file the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485 before Sept. 18, 2026.” The date controls.
| Filing window | Form USCIS accepts | Agency result |
|---|---|---|
| Before Sept. 18, 2026 | Form I-485 edition dated 01/20/25 | Keep using the older version |
| On or after Sept. 18, 2026 | new edition dated Sept. 18, 2026 | Old edition rejected |
| If the mailing or upload lands on the cutoff | edition tied to the postmark or electronic submission date | The date decides |
Part 9 carries the public-charge rewrite
USCIS says the revision matches the public charge ground of inadmissibility final rule. The new questions and disclosures sit in Part 9. That is where the edit lives.
The agency is linking the new edition to the public-charge framework, not to immigrant-category eligibility. The category rules stay separate. The form turns on the date, not the draft day.
A separate instruction change took effect on 09/04/26
On 09/04/26, USCIS rewrote one instruction to reflect a DHS rule that took effect that day. It replaced “Individuals Born in the United States Under Diplomatic Status” with “Individuals Born to a Foreign Government Employee in the United States.” Narrow change.
The update sits in the instructions, not the filing cutoff. The old label is gone.
USCIS is also releasing a preview version of the new edition and its instructions because there is no transition period. That preview shows the switch before September 18, 2026. The handoff is already set.
