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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will publish a new edition of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, a document used by those seeking to obtain legal permanent residence within the country.
The agency reported that the update will take effect on September 18, 2026, and will completely replace the previous version dated January 20, 2025.
According to USCIS, the form was modified to align with the recent Final Rule on Grounds of Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds.
Likewise, it specified that the 09/18/26 edition will substitute the currently valid 01/20/25 edition.
The so-called Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows a foreign national to live and work permanently in the United States. USCIS explains that "having a Green Card allows you to live and work permanently in the United States," while a legal permanent resident is a person who resides in the country under an immigration status officially recognized by U.S. laws.
The immigration authorities warned that there will be no grace period for the transition between forms. Therefore, those filing their application must pay close attention to the submission dates.
USCIS indicated that the January 20, 2025 edition will be accepted only if it was mailed or filed electronically before September 18, 2026. Conversely, any application sent with that version on or after that date will be rejected.
Likewise, the new edition of the form also cannot be used before it takes effect.
The agency explained that "it will only be accepted if the form is postmarked or filed electronically on or after September 18, 2026." This means that those who use the new version before that date also run the risk of their application being rejected.
To help applicants prepare, USCIS has made available a preliminary version of the new Form I-485 and its instructions on its official portal.
It is recommended to carefully review the changes before starting the process, especially for those planning to apply for permanent residence in the weeks surrounding the implementation of the new edition of the document.
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[Publicidad]