The edition change is effective now—not October 1
USCIS published a new Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act, on August 31, 2026. The edition date printed at the bottom of the new form is 08/24/26. USCIS says it accepts that edition when it is postmarked or electronically submitted on or after August 31.
For Form I-864 itself, there was no grace period. USCIS says it will not process or accept the 10/17/24 edition when it is postmarked or submitted on or after August 31, 2026. Do not confuse that rule with transition language USCIS may publish for a different form in the I-864 family; verify the exact form number and its own official page.
- Current Form I-864 edition: 08/24/26.
- Acceptance began: August 31, 2026.
- Older 10/17/24 Form I-864: no grace period after August 30.
- Controlling date: the postmark or electronic submission date stated by USCIS.
A filing assembled earlier still needs a final edition check
A sponsor may have downloaded and signed an affidavit weeks before the immigrant or applicant is ready to submit it. That preparation date does not preserve an old edition. Before delivery to the National Visa Center, a consular officer, USCIS or an immigration court, compare the form number, edition date and submission instructions with the official USCIS page.
All pages should come from the same edition and should show the edition date and page number at the bottom. A replacement page taken from another edition can create an internally inconsistent affidavit even when the names and financial figures appear correct.
The new form authorizes consumer-report verification
USCIS says the 08/24/26 edition includes a privacy release authorizing the agency to request information from one or more consumer reporting agencies. The agency may use information such as credit reports or scores to obtain or verify information relevant to whether the affidavit is sufficient.
That authorization should not be rewritten as a universal minimum-credit-score requirement. USCIS still describes Form I-864 as a legally enforceable sponsorship contract supported by the required income, tax, household and asset evidence. Only the agency can decide whether the affidavit is sufficient in a particular case.
A credit or security freeze may require prompt action
USCIS warns that a credit or security freeze may prevent it from accessing information needed to assess the affidavit. The agency tells sponsors to respond promptly to a request to release a freeze so that the review is not delayed.
A sponsor should not permanently weaken account security or disclose credit-login credentials to a preparer. Keep the freeze notice, the agency request and proof of any temporary release together, and follow the consumer reporting agency's official process. If the request is unclear or appears fraudulent, verify it through the USCIS account or Contact Center before acting.
Rebuild the financial record from current evidence
The sponsor generally should provide the most recent federal individual income tax return or IRS transcript and evidence of current income as the instructions require. If household-member income is used, the correct Form I-864A and supporting evidence may also be required. Assets, joint sponsors and substitute sponsors each have their own rules.
Do not copy an old household-size calculation without reviewing who is counted now. Marriages, births, prior sponsorships, dependent changes and immigrating family members can affect the calculation. A document organizer can make the record clear, but eligibility and sufficiency questions require qualified legal advice.
- Recalculate household size from the new form's instructions.
- Use current income evidence instead of relying only on last year's tax number.
- Match each household member or asset to the form that legally supports its use.
- Keep private financial and consumer-report records out of ordinary email and public intake forms.
The affidavit remains a serious, enforceable commitment
Form I-864 is not merely a checklist item. USCIS describes it as a contract with the U.S. government. The sponsor's obligation generally continues until a specified terminating event, such as the immigrant becoming a U.S. citizen, receiving credit for 40 qualifying quarters of work, permanently leaving the United States without permanent resident status, receiving a new grant of permanent residence after removal proceedings, or dying.
Divorce is not on USCIS's list of terminating events. Sponsors, joint sponsors and household members should understand the legal and financial consequences before signing rather than treating the affidavit as a ceremonial promise.
A clean filing-day review can prevent an avoidable problem
On the day the affidavit will be submitted, open the official Form I-864 page again. Confirm the accepted edition, signature, submission destination and whether the case is following USCIS, NVC, consular or immigration-court instructions. Form I-864 generally travels with the sponsored immigrant's case rather than being mailed to a universal stand-alone I-864 address.
Save a complete signed copy, the official instruction page used and delivery or upload confirmation. This article reports USCIS's published status as of September 15, 2026; later agency guidance, litigation or another form update can change the filing rule.