The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a warning to employers and visa applicants ahead of the upcoming H-1B filing period. The agency says it will soon begin rejecting outdated versions of a key immigration form used to sponsor foreign workers.
The change arrives just as companies prepare their petitions for the annual H-1B visa cap season. Because filings typically begin at the start of April, the new requirement may leave little room for mistakes during a period when immigration attorneys and employers are already working under tight deadlines.
New Form I-129 Edition Required from April
USCIS has released a new edition of Form I-129, the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, dated 27 February 2026. According to the agency, this will be the only version accepted for submissions received from 1 April 2026 onwards.
The previous version of the form, dated 20 January 2025, will remain valid only if it reaches the agency before the end of March. Petitions submitted using the older edition after 31 March will be rejected, according to guidance published by USCIS.
Form I-129 is the primary document employers use when petitioning for foreign nationals to work temporarily in the United States. It is used across several visa categories, including H-1B visas for specialty occupations, as well as H-2A agricultural visas, H-2B seasonal work visas, L-1 intra-company transfers and O-1 visas for individuals with extraordinary ability.
The agency has also reminded applicants that every page of the form must match the same edition. According to USCIS, petitions may be rejected if pages are missing or if they come from different form versions. The agency states that employers printing and mailing the form must ensure that the edition date and page numbers appear clearly at the bottom of each page.
For many employers, the timing of the update is particularly sensitive. The H-1B program operates under a strict annual cap, meaning that even minor administrative errors could cause companies to lose the opportunity to file a petition for a selected worker.
Expanded Job and Wage Details in H-1B Filings
The revised form also introduces additional questions relating to the position being offered to H-1B workers. According to USCIS documentation, employers must now provide more detailed information about job requirements and responsibilities.
The updated form asks petitioners to specify the minimum level of education required for the role, the relevant field of study, and any professional experience expected of applicants. Employers must also indicate whether the role includes supervisory duties.
These additions reflect factors already used by the US Department of Labor when assigning wage levels through the Labor Condition Application (LCA), which employers must obtain before filing an H-1B petition.
Under the revised Form I-129, employers must also list two wage classifications for H-1B cap cases. According to the new instructions, the form requires both the wage level selected during the initial H-1B registration process and the wage level listed on the approved Labor Condition Application.
By placing the two figures side by side, the agency will be able to compare them during the review process. USCIS has not stated how it will address cases where the two wage levels differ, though the change indicates closer scrutiny of job descriptions and wage classifications.
With the April deadline approaching, employers preparing H-1B petitions are being urged to review their filing procedures carefully and ensure they are using the correct form edition before submitting applications.
