The United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a grace period to the twelve immigration forms affected by their recent unannounced update, including Forms I-141, I-485, and N-400. Each immigration form has its own grace period. This move comes after immigration lawyers filed a lawsuit challenging the unannounced change.
USCIS made the unannounced changes between March 3rd and March 6th, affecting twelve immigration forms, including the I-131, I-485, and N-400 forms. The update removed any references to gender other than “male” or “female.” The forms were changed to better align with President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
A group of immigration lawyers filed a lawsuit arguing the USCIS’ changes violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The immigration form grace period was announced just one day after the lawsuit was filed. The forms were originally intended to go into effect when they were announced but will now have grace periods that will last between March 24th at the earliest and May 5th at the latest.
The grace period for Form I-131 lasts until April 4th, 2025.
The grace period for Form I-485 lasts until April 3rd, 2025.
The grace period for Form N-400 lasts until April 4th, 2025.
The grace periods for all updated forms can be found on the USCIS
The immigration lawyers that filed the suit stated they will continue closely monitoring the USCIS’ adherence to the APA in the future. They also stated they’re optimistic that the issue will be resolved soon. Critics of the USCIS claim the announced changes were intended to invalidate as many non-citizens’ legal residencies as possible.
As always, ILBSG actively monitors ongoing U.S. immigration news. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Working with an experienced attorney ensures you get the right advice based on the most recent laws. In an ever-evolving immigration policy landscape, it’s particularly critical.
