I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
The following groups use this form:
- Certain nonimmigrants extending their stay or changing to another nonimmigrant status;
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (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.
You must carefully review the Form I-539 filing instructions (PDF, 894.19 KB) before submitting your request to ensure you are filing your request for an extension or change of status using the proper form.
Requests for extension of stay in, or change of status to, certain employment-based classifications must be filed using Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, rather than Form I-539.
You must NOT file Form I-539 to request an extension of stay in, or change of status to, any of the following classifications:
- E-1 principal treaty traders and E-1 principal employees of a treaty trader
- E-2 principal treaty investors and E-2 principal employees of a treaty investor
- E-2 CNMI principal investors
- E-3 principal specialty occupation workers from Australia
[NOTE: Eligible dependents of family members of E principal nonimmigrants must file the Form I-539 to extend their stay or change their status unless they are seeking to change to a status listed here, in which case, they may NOT use the Form I-539.] - H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, and H-3 nonimmigrants
- L-1 nonimmigrants
- O-1 and O-2 nonimmigrants
- P-1, P-2, P-3, P-1S, P-2S, or P-3S nonimmigrants
- Q-1 nonimmigrants
- R-1 nonimmigrants
- TN-1 and TN-2 nonimmigrants
IMPORTANT NOTE: Filing your request on the wrong form may result in the rejection or denial of your case. USCIS will not refund your filing fees if your case is denied.
What This Form Can Help You Do
Form Details
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
If you complete and print this form to mail it in, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same edition of the form. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different edition of the form, we may reject your form.
If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions.
For a complete list of mailing addresses, visit our Form I-539 Direct Filing Addresses page.
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.
- Individuals changing into or extending H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, E-2C, E-3, or E-3D nonimmigrant status are not required to submit the biometric services fee, effective May 17, 2021 – May 17, 2023.
You may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check or 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.
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. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.
Pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. Because of this, you must pay each filing fee separately for any form you submit. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.
View the checklist of required initial evidence.
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
Filing Tips: Go to our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to help ensure we will accept your application.
Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.
Nonimmigrant Type | Additional Instructions |
---|---|
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) residents |
|
B nonimmigrant extension | |
B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrants | |
K-3/4 nonimmigrants |
|
V nonimmigrants |
|
E-Notification: If you want to receive an email and/or text message that we have accepted your Form I-539 at a USCIS lockbox, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the first page of your application.