New Form and Biometric Exam to Extend Nonimmigrant Visas in the United States

On March 11, 2019, the The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will publish a new version of its Form I-539, for the application for nonimmigrant visas. From that same day, those who intend to stays temporarily in this country as a student, worker, investor or exchange visitor (among 40 categories) must submit the new document, which includes a biometric exam at a cost of 85 USD by applicant or co-applicant.

The form that will be available online that day, This will be mandatory from the moment of its publication. Is used to extend or modify the permanence status of categories such as B-1, F-1, H-4, L-2 and TD visasand also the dependents with a primary beneficiary for H-1B, L-1 or TN.

The legal validity of different types of visas for non-immigrants varies according to the purpose of the stay, but thecommon and essential to obtain the status is the approval of the form I-539 o Request for extension or change of nonimmigrant status.

Each co-applicant (usually the children of the main beneficiaries) You must send and sign a form I-539A separately; the same March 11, there will be a new version of this document, will replace supplement A from the current, on the USCIS website. I-539A can not be shown separately, but only in conjunction with Principal I-539. Parents can continue to sign on behalf of their children under the age of 14 or people with disabilities.

Of particular importance is that each the applicant and the co-applicant must pay USD 85 for a biometric examination, for which we will give you an appointment. The examination is mandatory.

This will make impossible, as it happens now, the primary affairs that deserve priority treatment (such as H-1B or L-1, for example) receive free visas for dependents. They also can not be awarded, with the main application, the authorization cards. Each applicant and co-applicant must follow an individual process.

"We will reject any form I-539 whose edition dates from December 23, 2016 or before," said USCIS. Forms will also be rejected without the signatures of each applicant or payments for procedure and biometric examination.

The only ones exceptions to the payment of the biometric examination they will be non-immigrant candidates holding A, G and NATO visas, diplomats and representatives of international organizations.