Alert Type info
ALERT:On May 28, 2024, the intake of petitions, applications, and other benefit requests at the Texas Service Center was temporarily suspended due to widespread and severe weather. The Texas Service Center reopened on June 3, 2024, and the intake of petitions, applications, and other benefit requests has resumed. In most instances, courier services will reattempt delivery now that the Texas Service Center has reopened; no further action from petitioners or applicants is required. If your petition or application is returned to you, you should refile at your earliest convenience. Petitioners or applicants affected by the intake disruption or by severe weather may request filing flexibilities, which USCIS can consider on a case-by-case basis.
Due to the severe weather events that led to closure and disruption of operations at the Texas Service Center, USCIS is exercising its authority under 8 CFR 106.4(e)(22), which states that the premium processing clock does not run on any business day when a federal office is closed, including closures due to “weather-related” events. The closure may be nationwide or in the region where the adjudication of the benefit for which premium processing is sought will take place. Premium processing cases that were received but were not yet transferred to an adjudicating office before the Texas Service Center closed, or cases that could not be delivered by courier services, may see the premium processing clock paused due to this period of operational closure.
Alert Type info
ALERT: At intake, we determine whether the payment you submitted matches the correct fees due. If you do not submit the correct fee, we must reject your form, even if you have submitted an overpayment.
The required fees for Form I-129, Form I-129CW, and Form I-140 depend on how you answer the form’s questions about your status as a nonprofit or small employer. See ourWeb Alertfor more information: USCIS Reminds Certain Employment-Based Petitioners to Submit the Correct Required Fees.
You can find additional filing fee information by visiting ourFiling Feespage, our FormG-1055, Fee Schedule, and ourFrequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rulepage.
Alert Type info
ALERT:As of April 1, 2024, USCIS service centers are no longer accepting Form I-129 petitions requesting H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) classification.
We will reject H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions received at a USCIS service center on or after April 1, 2024. There will beno grace periodprovided.
As of April 1, 2024, all paper-filed Form I-129 petitions requesting H-1 or H-1B1 (HSC) classification, including those with a concurrent Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, and those with concurrently filed Form I-539 and/or Form I-765, must be filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. You can find the lockbox filing addresses for paper-filed forms on ourForm I-129 Direct Filing Addressespage.
If you are filing Form I-129 alone or with Form I-907, you may also file online. On March 25, USCIS launched online filing of Form I-129 and associated Form I-907 for non-cap H-1B petitions. On April 1, USCIS began accepting online filing for H-1B cap petitions and associated Forms I-907 for petitioners whose registrations have been selected. To file online, visit myaccount.uscis.gov.
In addition, on Feb. 28, 2024, USCIS launched newUSCIS organizational accountsthat allow multiple people within a company and their legal representatives to collaborate and prepare H-1B registrations, online H-1B petitions, and associated online requests for premium processing.
Alert Type info
ALERT:If you are an H-1B or an L-1 nonimmigrant and your dependent spouse or child is applying for an extension of their existing H-4 or L-2 status, or a change of status to H-4 or L-2, we will adjudicate your dependent spouse or child’s application together with your Form I-129 if the Form I-539 is packaged together with and properly filed at the same time and in the same location as your Form I-129. This means that an officer will review the H-4 or L-2 derivative’s Form I-539 after reviewing the principal’s Form I-129 and will take appropriate adjudicative action (that is, issue an approval, denial, RFE, NOID or refer for an investigation) after that adjudicative review. This includes a Form I-765 filed by your dependent spouse for an employment authorization document based on H-4 or L-2 status, as applicable. If your dependent’s associated applications are not properly submitted together with your Form I-129, we will adjudicate them separately.
Petitioners use this form to file on behalf of a nonimmigrant worker to come to the United States temporarily to perform services or labor, or to receive training, as an H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, L-1, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1 or R-1 nonimmigrant worker. Petitioners may also use this form to request an extension of stay in or change of status to E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B1 or TN, or one of the above classifications for a noncitizen.
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Forms and Document Downloads
Form I-129 (PDF, 2.07 MB)
Instructions for Form I-129 (PDF, 549.11 KB)
Optional Checklist for Form I-129 H-1B Filings (PDF, 273.56 KB)
Optional Checklist for Form I-129 H-2A Filings (PDF, 271.5 KB)
Optional Checklist for Form I-129 H-2B Filings (PDF, 268.73 KB)
Optional Checklist for Form I-129 R-1 Filings (Religious Workers) (PDF, 380.52 KB)
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) Codes (PDF, 123.74 KB)
Form Details
Edition Date
04/01/24. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.
If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions.
Where to File
See ourDirect Filing Addresses for Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Workerpage.
Filing Fee
You can find the filing fee for Form I-129 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.
You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check, orpay by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make it payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request. If you pay by credit card or debit card, you cannot later dispute the payment.
If you are submitting multiple forms, pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.
Checklist of Required Initial Evidence (for informational purposes only)
View thechecklistof required initial evidence.
Form Filing Tips
Completeall sectionsof the form.
Filing Tips:Review ourTips for Filing Forms by Mailpage for information on how to ensure we will accept your form.
Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.
Special Instructions
Extension of Stay Requests for Beneficiaries Who Entered the United States Based on an Approved Blanket L Petition
All petitioners requesting an extension of stay for a beneficiary who entered the United States based on an approved blanket L petition must file the following:
- Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker;
- Form I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition;and
- A copy of their previously approved Form I-129S.
We may reject any Form I-129 for an L-1 blanket extension of stay request that does not also include Form I-129S.
Change of Status Requests for Beneficiaries Who are in the United StatesBased on an Approved Blanket L Petition
All petitioners requesting a change of status to L-1 based on an approved blanket L petition for a beneficiary who is currently in the United States must file the following:
- Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker;and
- Form I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition.
We may reject any Form I-129 for an L-1 blanket change of status request that does not also include Form I-129S.
Evidence of Petition Approval Needed When Traveling
Along with a valid passport and visa (if applicable), the noncitizen beneficiary should carry the following documents when traveling to the United States:
- Form I-797, Notice of Action, stating we approved the petition; or
- A copy of the approved Form I-129S (if applicable).
The beneficiary should present this documentation to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when seeking entry or re-entry into the United States in the approved Form I-129 employment classification.
Evidence of a petition approval is not a visa, and the beneficiary must possess the appropriate nonimmigrant visa (if one is required) before applying for admission into the United States.
Form I-94 Validity
When the beneficiary with an approved Form I-129 is admitted to the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection grants the beneficiary a period of stay documented on Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, or as noted in the passport or travel document.
If the expiration date on Form I-94 ends before the end of Form I-129's validity period (as shown on Form I-797, Notice of Action) one of the following must occur before the expiration date on Form I-94 or as noted in the passport or travel document:
- A petitioner must file a request for an extension of stay on behalf of the beneficiary using Form I-129;
- The beneficiary must file an application for some other immigration benefit that would allow them to remain in the United States; or
- The beneficiary must depart the United States.
If the nonimmigrant worker’s stay is limited as described above, any dependent family members who accompanied or followed to join the beneficiary must also:
- Timely request an extension of stay using Form I-539;
- Timely apply for some other immigration benefit that would allow the family member to remain in the United States; or
- Depart the United Statesbefore the expiration date on the family member’s Form I-94 or the date noted in the family member’s passport or travel document.
Part 6 - Certification Regarding the Release of Controlled Technology or Technical Data to Foreign Persons in the United States
Petitioners must complete Part 6 of Form I-129 if they are seeking to classify a nonimmigrant worker as H-1B, H-1B1 Chile/Singapore, L-1, and O-1A.Part 6 is not required for petitions for all other classifications, including but not limited to blanket L petitions (LZ).See Part 6 of Form I-129: Frequently Asked Questionsfor more information.
Troubled Asset Relief Program
Employers who received funds through the Troubled Asset Relief Program or under section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act (“covered funding”) are no longer required to answer question 1d in Part A of the H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement.
For Residence in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
You must follow additional guidance if you are requesting an initial grant of nonimmigrant status in the CNMI. For more information, please visit ourGrants of Statuspage.
When completing Form I-129, please list your CNMI P.O. Box when asked for a street or physical address. File your petitionsfor employment or services in the CNMI, regardless of classification,with the Texas Service Center.
U.S. Postal Service (USPS):
USCIS Texas Service Center
Attn: I-129 CNMI
6046 N Belt Line Rd. STE 129
Irving, TX 75038-0013
FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries:
USCIS Texas Service Center
Attn: I-129 CNMI
6046 N Belt Line Rd. STE 129
Irving, TX 75038-0001
Related Links
- Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers - General Information
- H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
- VIBE Program
Forms Information
- Part 6 of Form I-129: Frequently Asked Questions
- I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service
H-1B and L-1 Information
- H-1B Cap Season
- Filing Multiple L-1 Intracompany Transferee Petitions Related to the Same Project
More Information
- Immigrant Visa Petitions Returned by the State Department Consular Offices
- Questions about Same or Similar Occupational Classifications Under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (AC21)
- CNMI: Grants of Status
