USCIS to reject outdated work‑visa petitions starting April 1; employers warned to use updated forms

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has warned employers and petitioners that starting April 1, 2026, it will reject certain visa petitions filed on outdated paperwork, in a move tied to broader changes in the US work‑visa process.

Under the updated guidance, petitions submitted with the 01/20/25 edition of Form I‑129 — the primary petition form for temporary nonimmigrant workers — will not be accepted after April 1. Instead, employers must use the latest edition issued with an edition date of February 27, 2026, or their filings risk being returned without processing.

Form I‑129 covers a range of temporary work visas, including H‑1B, H‑2A, H‑2B, L‑1 and O‑1 classifications, which are widely used by US employers to sponsor foreign professionals, specialty workers, and intracompany transferees.

The alert reflects a tightening of USCIS administrative procedures. Applications using older versions of forms will be rejected outright rather than being given leeway, meaning employers who miss the deadline could face significant delays in getting beneficiaries’ cases processed.

This change aligns with a broader overhaul of the H‑1B and other nonimmigrant visa filing requirements that took effect simultaneously, including shifts in selection processes and more detailed documentation demands for job roles and wages.

Legal experts say employers should double‑check their petition packets for correct edition dates printed at the bottom of forms and ensure all pages are from the same updated version to avoid inadvertent rejections.

The update comes as the USCIS opens the filing period for the FY 2027 H‑1B cap subject petitions on April 1, meaning petitions that are rejected because of outdated forms could miss critical deadlines in the visa season.