New I-485 Edition: Old Version Rejected Starting September 18, With No Grace Period

Three timelines: this is all you need to remember

According to the text of the USCIS announcement, what counts is the postmark date or the electronic filing date, not the date USCIS receives it:

• Mailed or filed online before September 18: the old edition (01/20/25) is accepted; the new edition is not
• Mailed or filed online on or after September 18: the old edition will be rejected; only the new edition (09/18/26) is accepted

USCIS put it plainly in the announcement: because there is no grace period this time, it released a preview of the new edition early so you can look at the content ahead of time. But it also said not to file with the new edition before September 18.

Why you need to be especially careful this time

Usually when a form edition changes, USCIS accepts both editions for a while. Not this time.

"Rejected" and "denied" are two different things. A rejection means the filing doesn't count at all: your package comes back, and you won't get a receipt notice. If you're filing right as the visa bulletin allows it, for example because your priority date just became eligible to file during this window, then by the time you resend with the new edition, the bulletin may already have moved on. Whether you can still file then depends on what the next bulletin does.

This doesn't mean something will definitely go wrong, but whether your mailing date lands on September 17 or September 18 could make a big difference.

What changed in this edition

USCIS says the new edition is meant to align with the Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility Final Rule. The announcement itself doesn't spell out which parts of the form changed, and we won't guess on its behalf. The preview is already out, so you can compare it yourself.

Used the September 18 edition and still got rejected as the old edition

As of October 16, some applicants are reporting this online. Below, what is documented and what is only reported are kept apart. Don't read them as the same thing.

What is documented

• USCIS's I-485 page says that from September 18 only the 09/18/26 edition is accepted, the 01/20/25 and 09/04/26 editions are rejected, and there is no grace period. The edition date is printed at the bottom of every page of the form and instructions, and the page says the edition date and page numbers must be visible on all pages.
• The USCIS Policy Manual lists "use of an outdated version of a USCIS form at time of submission" as a reason for rejection. A rejection can't be appealed, but you can resubmit a corrected filing. A resubmission generally gets a new filing date and needs new fees.

What is only reported online (we can't verify it, and USCIS has not publicly explained it)

• Since early October, in posts on the 美卡 forum and Reddit's USCIS community, we read at least 4 applicants who say they used the 09/18/26 edition, mailed after September 18 (one says September 22), and still got a rejection notice citing an outdated form. In the same threads, 1 applicant with the same edition and the same receipt date says nothing went wrong and a biometrics appointment is already scheduled.
• One applicant says lockbox support replied within a day that it was their own error. That is the applicant's own account, and we haven't seen the reply.
• Some people noticed that PDFs all marked 09/18/26 show different OMB expiration dates in the top right corner, depending on when they were downloaded, and suspect a link to the rejections. That is a guess. Nobody has produced an explanation from USCIS.
• Nobody has reported what happened after re-mailing. We don't know how common these rejections are, or whether a re-mailed package is accepted smoothly.

How to check your own package

• Go through the set you mailed, page by page, and read the footer. Every page should say Edition 09/18/26. If yours says 09/04/26, that is a different situation, and the official page says that edition is rejected too.
• Check the date: use the 09/18/26 edition only if your postmark or electronic filing date is September 18 or later.

If your package comes back (our suggestions, not an official procedure)

1. Read the reason on the rejection notice, then compare it with your footers and mailing date. Some rejection notices say how to resubmit items such as the medical exam. Follow the notice you received.
2. If you're sure the edition and date are right, you can email lockbox support with your name, A-number, address, the rejection notice, and screenshots or mailing receipts showing the edition and the date you sent it. One applicant got a reply in a day.
3. Don't just wait for the reply. If your priority date or status deadline is tight, prepare the re-mail in parallel: use the 09/18/26 edition, add a short cover note saying this is a resubmission after rejection with the notice enclosed, and keep your mailing receipts, the rejection notice and photos of the original package.
4. Because a rejected filing generally doesn't keep its original filing date, if your priority date is tight or your status is about to expire, talk to an immigration attorney before re-mailing.