USCIS's November 9, 2026 Deadline: New Filing Addresses, the I-129 Edition Switch and Every Form Affected
Old USCIS mailing addresses stop working after November 9, the same day the old I-129 edition dies, and the two cutoffs are worded differently.
Part of our guide to the OPT I-765 application.
As of November 1, 2026, the new USCIS filing addresses for Forms I-765, I-539, I-485, I-131, I-129, I-907 and several others have been in effect since October 7, 2026. The old addresses still work, but only for packages postmarked on or before Monday, November 9, 2026. After that, USCIS says it may reject a misdirected package and send it back. On the same day, USCIS starts accepting only the 09/09/26 edition of Form I-129, and the old 02/27/26 edition must be postmarked or e-filed before November 9. Form I-140 did not move.
Status line, as of November 1, 2026. In effect: new filing locations (since 2026-10-07); I-765 08/21/25, I-539 08/28/24 and I-485 09/18/26 editions only; G-1055 edition 10/26/26. Grace ends: old addresses need a postmark on or before 2026-11-09. Scheduled: I-129 09/09/26 edition only, from 2026-11-09. Re-check each form page after November 9.
USCIS new filing address, November 2026: what changes on November 9?
Two USCIS cutoffs land on Monday, November 9, 2026. The 30-day grace period for old filing addresses ends: a package postmarked on or before November 9 can still go to a prior location, and anything later should use the new one. The same day, USCIS starts accepting only the 09/09/26 edition of Form I-129.
The trap is that the two rules are worded differently. The address grace uses "on or before" November 9. The I-129 edition rule uses "before" November 9. So a petition mailed on Monday, November 9 to the old address on the old edition passes the address test and fails the edition test.
The USCIS filing-locations updates page gives the address rule in one sentence for each form: "We will provide a 30-day grace period and accept forms postmarked on or before Nov. 9, 2026" when they are sent to any prior filing location. The Form I-129 page (updated 2026-10-30) gives the edition rule: "Starting Nov. 9, 2026, we will accept only the 09/09/26 edition of Form I-129."
Common misconception. "If my packet is postmarked by November 9, everything in it is fine." That holds for the address, not the I-129 edition: USCIS will "reject the 02/27/26 edition of Form I-129 if it is postmarked or electronically submitted on or after Nov. 9, 2026."
Every form affected: the cross-form checklist (as of 2026-11)
Table: filing locations, editions and online options, as of 2026-11 (USCIS form pages and the filing-locations updates page, read 2026-11-01).
| Form | Who usually files it | Location changed 2026-10-07? | Old address accepted if postmarked | Edition USCIS lists | Online option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-765 (OPT, STEM OPT, H-4 EAD, (c)(9)) | You | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | 08/21/25 only; 09/15/26 not accepted | Fill-out online for (c)(3)(A), (B), (C) and some others; (c)(9) by PDF upload; (c)(26) H-4, (a)(17) and (a)(18) are paper only |
| I-539 (H-4, change to F-1 and others) | You | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | 08/28/24 only; 09/15/26 not accepted | Online for listed classifications |
| I-129 (H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN and others) | Your employer | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | 09/09/26; 02/27/26 only if postmarked or e-submitted before 2026-11-09 | Fill-out online for non-cap and selected cap H-1B; PDF upload for E-3, L-1, O, P, Q-1, H-3 and others |
| I-907 (premium processing) | You or your employer | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | 04/01/24 | Online or paper, depending on the underlying form |
| I-485 (adjustment of status) | You | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | 09/18/26 only, no grace period | Standalone online; concurrent online only through a representative or as an I-140 self-petitioner |
| I-131 (advance parole, reentry permit) | You | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | 01/20/25 | Some request types; check the online list |
| I-290B, I-360, I-601, I-212, I-102, I-192, I-824 | Varies | Yes | On or before 2026-11-09 | See each form page | See each form page |
| I-140 (immigrant worker petition) | Your employer, or you if self-petitioning | No | Not applicable | 06/07/24 | PDF upload |
Two things catch people. The central updates table runs to several pages, and the October 7 rows for the I-129, I-485 and I-907 sit on its second page (checked 2026-11-01), so a glance at the first page misses them. Each form's own page carries the same notice, so start there. And an online filing has no mailing address: if your category can be filed online, the address question disappears (the edition question does not). See which USCIS forms you can file online.
Table: what changed and what to do differently, as of 2026-11-01.
| Item | Before | Now | What to do differently |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailing address (I-765, I-539, I-485, I-131, I-129, I-907 and others) | Pre-October 7 locations | New locations since 2026-10-07; old ones only with a postmark on or before 2026-11-09 | Copy the address from the live form page on mailing day |
| I-129 edition | 02/27/26 accepted | 09/09/26 only for anything postmarked or e-submitted on or after 2026-11-09 | Re-prepare any petition still on the 02/27/26 edition |
| I-765 / I-539 edition | 08/21/25 and 08/28/24 | Unchanged; the 09/15/26 editions are not accepted | Check the footer of a form downloaded in September |
What your postmark date means: the November 9 decision table
Table: outcome by postmark or e-submission date, as of 2026-11 (source: USCIS form pages).
| Postmark or e-submission date | Old address | New address | I-129 on 02/27/26 edition | I-129 on 09/09/26 edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8 or earlier | Accepted (grace) | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Monday, Nov 9 | Accepted (last day) | Accepted | Rejected | Accepted |
| Tuesday, Nov 10 or later | May be rejected and returned | Accepted | Rejected | Accepted |
"Accepted" here means the package passes the address or edition test; fees, signatures and evidence can still cause a rejection. The safe column is the same in every row: new address, current edition. Treat the grace period as a cushion for packages already in transit, not as a reason to keep an old address on file.
What happens if you mail to the old USCIS address after November 9?
USCIS's answer is on its updates page: if you don't mail a form to the correct location, "it may take longer to process it," and "we may reject it as improperly filed and return it to you to re-file at the proper location." Nothing on the page promises forwarding.
A rejection is not a denial, but it has its own cost. Under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7), "A benefit request which is rejected will not retain a filing date," and "A rejection of a filing with USCIS may not be appealed." The receipt date is "the actual date of receipt at the location designated for filing," so a rejected package has, in effect, not been filed until a corrected one arrives where it should.
What that means by situation:
- Post-completion OPT. Your I-765 must be received within the 60-day window after your program end date and within 30 days of your DSO's SEVIS recommendation. A returned package does not stop either clock. Our guide to the refile window after a rejected OPT I-765 walks through the dates.
- STEM OPT extension. The USCIS STEM OPT page still promises a 180-day extension of work authorization for an on-time STEM I-765, and the 2026-10-14 EAD rule did not change that. A STEM I-765 filed after your OPT EAD expires gets no 180 days, so a rejection that comes back after your card ends is a real problem; have your DSO check the timing.
- H-4 EAD renewals. Renewals filed on or after 2025-10-30 get no automatic extension under the final rule in effect since 2026-10-14 (challenged in court; relief so far covers only seven named plaintiffs). A rejection lengthens any gap between cards.
- H-1B extensions and changes of status. Your employer or its attorney files the I-129, and whether a petition was filed in time to protect your status is an attorney question. Ask them to confirm the address and edition before the package ships.
Which I-129 edition does USCIS accept after November 9, 2026?
Only the 09/09/26 edition. Until then, USCIS also takes the 02/27/26 edition, but only if it is postmarked or electronically submitted before November 9, 2026.
"Electronically submitted" matters. USCIS's rejection sentence covers e-submissions as well as postmarks, so a petition prepared on the old edition and uploaded through a USCIS online account on or after November 9 meets the same rule as a mailed one.
You don't file the I-129, but if your extension, transfer or change of status from STEM OPT goes out this month, you can ask HR or the attorney which edition it is on and where it is going. The location depends on classification, premium or regular processing, and the petitioner's primary-office state; our walkthrough of where to file Form I-129 by classification explains the routing. USCIS's I-129 addresses page says mailed petitions are filed at a USCIS lockbox facility, with separate addresses for USPS and for FedEx, UPS and DHL.
Which I-765 and I-539 editions are accepted now?
As of November 1, 2026, USCIS accepts the 08/21/25 edition of Form I-765 and the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539. In its alert on the September 14 court order, USCIS says it "is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition of Forms I-539 and I-765."
Those 09/15/26 editions were drafted for the Duration-of-Status rule, which has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14, with summary judgment briefed and DHS's appeal pending. USCIS is proceeding under the previous regulations, so D/S admission and the 60-day F-1 grace period still apply. If you downloaded a form in September, check its footer; our guide to why USCIS rejects the 09/15/26 I-765 edition shows how to check every page.
For H-4 families, an I-539 extension often travels with a (c)(26) H-4 EAD on Form I-765, which is paper only. Both forms moved, and neither takes the 09/15/26 edition. The I-539 filing address change and its November 9 cutoff covers the I-539 side, including which F-1 students still do not need an I-539 at all.
The I-485 is stricter still. Its page says "There is no grace period for the revised edition of Form I-485": USCIS accepts only the 09/18/26 edition for filings postmarked or electronically submitted on or after September 18, 2026.
Did the I-140 address change too?
No. The I-140 is not on USCIS's list of forms moved on October 7, 2026, and the Form I-140 page (last updated 2026-07-24) shows edition 06/07/24 with no 2026 location notice.
Two edge cases still touch the move. A concurrent package with an I-140 and an I-485 includes a form whose location did change, so read the I-485 "Where to file" instructions for the concurrent line rather than assuming nothing moved. And Form I-907 did get an October 7 location change. USCIS says the I-907 address depends on your reason for filing and the underlying form, and it does not say which I-907 lines moved, so for a premium upgrade on a pending I-140, read the "Where to file" section of the Form I-907 page on the day you mail rather than assuming the I-140's unchanged address covers it.
How to mail a USCIS form safely this week
- Open the live form page on uscis.gov (for example uscis.gov/i-765) on the day you mail and follow its "Where to file" link. Never copy an address from a saved PDF, a group chat or this article.
- Match your exact line on the addresses page: your eligibility category or classification, whether you file with another form, and whether you add Form I-907.
- Pick the address for your carrier. For most locations USCIS lists a PO box for the US Postal Service and a separate street address for FedEx, UPS and DHL, and couriers cannot deliver to a PO box.
- Check the edition date in the footer of every page against the "Edition date" on the form page. Never mix pages from two editions.
- Confirm the fee on Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) and pay with Form G-1450 (card) or Form G-1650 (US bank account), as the USCIS fee schedule page describes. Checks are not accepted unless you qualify for the Form G-1651 exemption.
- Ship with tracking and keep the receipt. The grace is tied to a postmark, and the notices do not say how a courier ship date is treated, so avoid a borderline November 9 drop-off.
- Watch for the I-797C receipt notice. If a package comes back rejected, contact your DSO (OPT, STEM OPT, SEVIS questions) or a licensed immigration attorney (your employer's for petitions; your own for H-4 and green card filings) the same day.
Does the weekend and holiday rule move the November 9 cutoff?
No. November 9, 2026 is a Monday, so no roll-over question arises. The PA-2026-15 policy alert, in effect since 2026-10-23, rolls a day-counted paper deadline that ends on a weekend or holiday to the next business day; e-filings and eligibility deadlines never roll. Our reading is that the November 9 cutoffs are fixed calendar dates, not deadlines counted in days. See our explainer on how USCIS's definition-of-day policy treats weekend deadlines.
A worked week: three filers, three outcomes
A STEM OPT student, mailing on Tuesday, November 10. Her OPT EAD expires November 20. She prints the I-765 address from instructions she saved in September and sends the package by USPS on November 10, one day after the grace period. If USCIS rejects and returns it after November 20, her corrected filing comes after the card ends: no 180-day extension, and a timing problem her DSO (and possibly an immigration attorney) needs to assess. The same package mailed to the new address on November 10 would have cleared the address test.
An H-1B extension, shipping on Monday, November 9. The attorney's team prepared the I-129 on the 02/27/26 edition in October and ships it to the old address on November 9. The address passes, because the grace covers postmarks on or before November 9. The edition fails, because the 02/27/26 edition is rejected on or after November 9. The petition needs the 09/09/26 edition before it ships.
An H-4 spouse, any date. She downloaded Forms I-539 and I-765 in mid-September, so both pages read 09/15/26. As of November 1, USCIS accepts neither edition, at any address. She needs the 08/28/24 I-539 and the 08/21/25 I-765, mailed to the new location, on paper for the (c)(26) EAD.
Common mistakes
- Copying an address from memory or a template. Pull it from the live USCIS page on filing day. Addresses change, and this one just did.
- Treating "postmarked by November 9" as covering everything. It covers the address. The old I-129 edition must go before November 9.
- Choosing the 09/15/26 I-765 or I-539 because it is newer. USCIS is not accepting it.
- Reading only the first page of the central updates table. The I-129, I-485 and I-907 rows are on a later page; each form's own page has the notice.
- Assuming a concurrent I-140 package didn't move. The I-140 didn't; the I-485 in the same envelope did.
- Treating a rejection as a denial you can appeal. Under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(iii), a rejection cannot be appealed; you refile, and the new filing gets a new date.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I mail my form to the old USCIS address after November 9?
USCIS accepts packages sent to a prior filing location only if they are postmarked on or before November 9, 2026. After that, USCIS says a misdirected filing may take longer or may be rejected as improperly filed and returned. A rejected filing keeps no filing date under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii), so your deadlines keep running.
Which I-129 edition does USCIS accept after November 9, 2026?
Only the 09/09/26 edition. USCIS accepts the older 02/27/26 edition only if it is postmarked or electronically submitted before November 9, 2026, and rejects it if it is postmarked or submitted on or after that date. That is stricter than the address rule, which still accepts a November 9 postmark.
Which forms had their filing addresses changed on October 7?
USCIS changed filing locations on October 7, 2026 for Forms I-765, I-539, I-485, I-131, I-129, I-907, I-290B, I-360, I-601, I-212, I-102, I-192 and I-824, among others. The central updates table runs across several pages, so check the notice on your own form's USCIS page before you mail anything.
Did the I-140 address change too?
No. The I-140 is not among the forms USCIS moved on October 7, 2026, and its USCIS page shows edition 06/07/24 with no 2026 location notice as of November 1, 2026. A concurrent I-140 and I-485 package still includes the I-485, whose location did change, so check both pages.
Which I-765 and I-539 editions are accepted now?
As of November 1, 2026, USCIS accepts the 08/21/25 edition of Form I-765 and the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539. It is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition of either form, because those editions were written for the Duration-of-Status rule that a federal court has blocked since September 14, 2026.
Sources
- USCIS: Filing Locations and Online Filing Options Updates (October 7, 2026 entries)
- USCIS: Form I-129 (updated 2026-10-30) and Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129 (updated 2026-10-07)
- USCIS: Form I-765, I-765 filing addresses, Form I-539, Form I-485, Form I-131, Form I-907 and Form I-140
- USCIS: Forms Available to File Online (updated 2026-10-07)
- USCIS: G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26, updated 2026-10-28)
- USCIS: PA-2026-15, definition of day and STEM OPT extension
- 8 CFR 103.2, via Cornell Legal Information Institute
How we checked this: we read each USCIS form page listed above, the USCIS filing-locations updates page, the G-1055 fee schedule and 8 CFR 103.2 on November 1, 2026, and checked them against our verified facts brief for this batch.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own notices, I-20, I-94 and the live USCIS pages govern, and your DSO (for F-1, OPT and SEVIS) or a licensed immigration attorney (for petitions and status strategy) should confirm anything that depends on your facts.
Paperwork on time is one half of staying on track; the other is lining up an employer who sponsors. If you're on OPT or STEM OPT and want help running a focused search for sponsoring employers, F1Jobs works with international candidates on exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I mail my form to the old USCIS address after November 9?
USCIS accepts packages sent to a prior filing location only if they are postmarked on or before November 9, 2026. After that, USCIS says a misdirected filing may take longer or may be rejected as improperly filed and returned. A rejected filing keeps no filing date under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii), so your deadlines keep running.
Which I-129 edition does USCIS accept after November 9, 2026?
Only the 09/09/26 edition. USCIS accepts the older 02/27/26 edition only if it is postmarked or electronically submitted before November 9, 2026, and rejects it if it is postmarked or submitted on or after that date. That is stricter than the address rule, which still accepts a November 9 postmark.
Which forms had their filing addresses changed on October 7?
USCIS changed filing locations on October 7, 2026 for Forms I-765, I-539, I-485, I-131, I-129, I-907, I-290B, I-360, I-601, I-212, I-102, I-192 and I-824, among others. The central updates table runs across several pages, so check the notice on your own form's USCIS page before you mail anything.
Did the I-140 address change too?
No. The I-140 is not among the forms USCIS moved on October 7, 2026, and its USCIS page shows edition 06/07/24 with no 2026 location notice as of November 1, 2026. A concurrent I-140 and I-485 package still includes the I-485, whose location did change, so check both pages.
Which I-765 and I-539 editions are accepted now?
As of November 1, 2026, USCIS accepts the 08/21/25 edition of Form I-765 and the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539. It is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition of either form, because those editions were written for the Duration-of-Status rule that a federal court has blocked since September 14, 2026.