United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published the revised Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. The new Form I-129 was edited and labeled on October 23, 2014 and is now accessible for immediate use. USCIS will accept previous editions of Form I-129 (edition dates: Oct. 7, 2011, Jan. 19, 2011, and Nov. 23, 2010) only until April 30, 2015. USCIS will accept only the revised Form I-129 from May 1, 2015 and thereafter.

Form I-129

US employers who wish to sponsor a foreign national for temporary employment in the United States may file Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. The form can be filed for temporary workers (H-1B, H-2C, H-2A, or H-3); aliens of extraordinary ability (O-1, O-2); artists, performers, or athletes (P-1, P-2, P-3, P-1S, P-2S, P-3S); cultural exchange visitors (Q-1); or religious workers (R-1). The petitioner may also use Form I-129 for employee’s change of status or extension of stay.

Changes to Form I-129

The recent changes in Form I-129 include:

• New layout and re-organized format.
• Revised format of Part 9 Explanation Page.
• O and P Classification Supplement is now three pages instead of two.

How is the new edition helpful?

The new edition of Form I-129 helps USCIS improve form processing since additional and more complete information is required of the applicant.
Download the revised Form I-129 and find out more details about the Form I-129.

Note

If you are filing for H-1B visa for the 2016 fiscal year employment start date of October 1, 2015, you can still use the old form for the April 1, 2015 application date.

Get more information about H1b Visa process, visit our H1B Visa Guide.