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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Edition 08/28/24 (OMB 1615-0003, expires 03/31/2027) 7 pages

Form I-539 — Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status

The USCIS form certain temporary visitors, students and dependants use to stay longer in the United States or switch to another nonimmigrant status.

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Form I-539 · Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
The official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form, edition 08/28/24 (OMB 1615-0003, expires 03/31/2027) — blank
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Fill This Form Online Blank PDF from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

What is Form I-539?

Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, is how many people who are in the United States on a temporary (nonimmigrant) status ask U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for more time, or for a different status. Typical users are visitors on B-1 or B-2 status who need to stay longer, dependants such as H-4, L-2 or F-2 spouses and children, and visitors who want to change to student status. F-1 and M-1 students who fell out of status can also use it to ask for reinstatement. Workers in employment-based categories use Form I-129 (filed by the employer) instead.

USCIS says to file before the expiration date on your Form I-94 arrival-departure record. One application can cover your family: each co-applicant (spouse or child) completes Form I-539A. The edition in VergeHR is dated 08/28/24; after a court order of Sept. 14, 2026, the USCIS Form I-539 page says USCIS continues to accept this edition. You can file online or by mail.

VergeHR walks you through the paper form in plain English and prints your answers into the official USCIS PDF: your identity and last entry, the type of request, links to a family member's pending petition, the background questions, and the contact and signature pages. It checks the conditions the form sets and saves the finished PDF to Files. You print it, sign it by hand and mail it yourself; VergeHR never files anything with USCIS.

Who fills it
The principal applicant. Each co-applicant (spouse or child) also completes Form I-539A.
Given to
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), online or by mail at the address on the Form I-539 Direct Filing Addresses page.
When
Before the date your authorized stay ends, as shown on your Form I-94.
Signatures
The applicant signs Part 5. An interpreter (Part 6) and a preparer (Part 7) sign too if they helped. USCIS rejects an unsigned form.
Edition
08/28/24 (OMB No. 1615-0003, expires 03/31/2027)
Agency
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security

Who needs to fill out Form I-539?

  • Visitors in B-1 or B-2 status who need more time in the United States than their I-94 allows.
  • Dependants such as H-4, L-2, E, F-2 or J-2 spouses and children extending or changing their status, often alongside the principal's own petition.
  • People changing to another nonimmigrant status, for example from B-2 visitor to F-1 student.
  • F-1 or M-1 students asking for reinstatement to student status.
  • Not for workers whose employer files Form I-129, and not for people seeking a green card (that is Form I-485).

When to Use Form I-539

  • Before your authorized stay expires: the USCIS page says to file before the expiration date shown on your I-94.
  • Together with, or after, a family member's petition or application when your request depends on theirs (Part 3 asks for its form type and receipt number).
  • When changing status, early enough that you don't start the new activity (such as school) before the change is approved; read the instructions for your category.

What You Need Before You Start

  • Your Form I-94 number and the date and place of your last arrival.
  • Your passport or travel document (number, issuing country and expiry date).
  • Your current nonimmigrant status and the date it expires, or D/S if you were admitted for duration of status.
  • For a change to student status: the school's name and your SEVIS ID number (from Form I-20 or DS-2019).
  • The receipt number of a related petition or application, if your request is based on one (for example a spouse's Form I-129).
  • Your home address abroad, and details of your employment or means of support since you were admitted.
  • Form I-539A for each co-applicant, plus the evidence the instructions list for your category.

What’s On Form I-539

The 2024 edition has 7 pages. VergeHR asks for it in 11 parts:

  1. Attorney or accredited representative (top of page 1)Preparer
  2. Part 1. Information about youApplicant
  3. Part 1. Other information and your most recent entryApplicant
  4. Part 2. Application typeApplicant
  5. Part 3. Processing informationApplicant
  6. Part 4. Additional information about the principal applicantApplicant
  7. Part 4. Questions about you (items 3-15)Applicant
  8. Part 5. Applicant's contact information, certification and signatureApplicant
  9. Part 6. Interpreter's contact information, certification and signatureInterpreter
  10. Part 7. Person preparing this application, if other than the applicantPreparer
  11. Part 8. Additional informationApplicant

How to fill out Form I-539, step by step

1 Part 1. Information about you

Your full legal name, A-Number and USCIS Online Account Number if you have them, your U.S. mailing address and physical address, country of birth and citizenship, date of birth and Social Security number if any. Then your most recent entry: date, I-94 number, passport or travel document, and your current status with its expiry date (or tick D/S).

2 Part 2. Application type

Choose reinstatement to student status, an extension of stay in your current status, or a change of status. For a change, pick the new status and the date you want it to start. Say whether you are the only applicant or are including family members (each needs Form I-539A), and give the school and SEVIS ID if you will study.

3 Part 3. Processing information

The date you want your status extended until. Then whether your request is based on a status already granted to, or a petition or application filed for, your spouse, child or parent, with its form type (I-539 or I-129), receipt number, name and filing date.

4 Part 4. Additional information about the principal applicant

Your current passport if it changed, your physical address abroad, and a series of yes/no questions: immigrant visa or green-card applications, arrests, serious crimes and human-rights violations, weapons, status violations, removal proceedings, U.S. employment since admission and J-1/J-2 history. Explain any Yes, your employment or means of support, and any J-1/J-2 dates in Part 8.

5 Parts 5 to 7. Contact, certification and signatures

Your phone number and email, then your signature and date, by hand. If an interpreter or a preparer helped, they add their details in Parts 6 and 7 and sign too.

6 Part 8. Additional information

Extra space for explanations. Give the page, part and item number each answer belongs to. VergeHR prints your name and A-Number at the top of the page.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Filing after the date on your I-94 has passed. File before your authorized stay expires.
  • Leaving out Form I-539A for a spouse or child included as a co-applicant.
  • Answering item 14 (U.S. employment) without the explanation the form asks for in Part 8, whether the answer is Yes or No.
  • Giving a status expiry date and ticking D/S at the same time, or neither.
  • Using this form for a work category that needs Form I-129 from the employer.
  • Forgetting to sign by hand. USCIS rejects an unsigned form.

After You Fill It Out

Print the PDF, check every page, and sign Part 5 by hand. Put the package together with the evidence the instructions list for your category and any Forms I-539A, and send it to the address on the USCIS Form I-539 Direct Filing Addresses page (or file online instead). VergeHR does not submit it for you.

USCIS may schedule a biometrics appointment or ask for more evidence. Keep the receipt notice: you need its receipt number to track your case.

The completed Form I-539 stays in VergeHR Files. Store your new I-94 or approval notice there too, and set an expiry reminder so you can act before your new stay ends.

Fill Out Form I-539 Online with VergeHR

  1. Pick the employee. Choose an employee and VergeHR fills in their name, date of birth, email and other details it already knows.
  2. Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 113 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
  3. Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form, and let VergeHR do any worksheet arithmetic.
  4. Generate the official PDF. VergeHR prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

VergeHR fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

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Form I-539: frequently asked questions

Can I fill out Form I-539 online with VergeHR?

Yes. VergeHR guides you through the paper Form I-539 and prints your answers into the official USCIS PDF. You then print, sign and mail it yourself. USCIS also offers its own online filing for Form I-539.

When should I file Form I-539?

Before your authorized stay expires. The USCIS page says to file before the expiration date shown on your Form I-94 arrival-departure record.

Do my spouse and children need their own form?

They can be included as co-applicants on your Form I-539. Each co-applicant completes Form I-539A, and item 4 of Part 2 counts everyone in the application.

How much is the Form I-539 fee?

USCIS publishes the current fee on its Fee Schedule page and the Form I-539 page. Check it on the day you file, because fees change.

Which edition of Form I-539 should I use?

As of September 2026, after a court order of Sept. 14, 2026, the USCIS Form I-539 page says USCIS continues to accept the 08/28/24 edition, which is the edition VergeHR fills.

Can I e-sign Form I-539?

Not for a paper filing. Sign it by hand; USCIS rejects an unsigned form. VergeHR doesn't place e-signature boxes on this form.

What does D/S mean?

Duration of status. Students and exchange visitors are often admitted for D/S rather than until a fixed date; tick the D/S box in Part 1 item 12 instead of giving an expiry date.

Official Sources

VergeHR is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-28.

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