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- Emily McIntosh
USCIS: Premium Processing to become available in stages
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it plans to restart the Premium Processing for Forms I-129 (nonimmigrant visa petitions) and eligible Forms I-140 (immigrant visa petitions) in four phases over the next few weeks.
Premium Processing Timeline
USCIS plans to accept Form I-907 premium processing requests according to the timeline below:
June 01: USCIS will begin accepting premium processing requests for all eligible Form I-140 petitions.
June 08: USCIS will begin accepting premium processing upgrade requests for the following Form I-129 case types that were filed before June 8:
Cap-exempt H-1B petitions
All other (non-H-1B) nonimmigrant petitions including L-1 and O-1 petitions
June 15: USCIS plans on accepting premium processing requests for:
Cap-exempt H-1B petitions that are filed concurrently with an I-907 (or an upgrade request for a petition filed on or after June 8)
June 22: USCIS plans on accepting premium processing for all other Form I-129 petitions, including:
All H-1B cap-subject petitions (including those for fiscal year 2021), for both premium processing upgrades and concurrently-filed I-907s
All other Form I-129 petitions for nonimmigrant classifications eligible for premium processing
Note - USCIS says these dates may change. The agency especially notes that the June 15 and June 22 phase-in dates are tentative.
REMINDER - Under the new H-1B registration and filing process, the H-1B filing period lasts until June 30.
If you have further questions about premium processing, please talk to your company's legal counsel.
Content in this publication is not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. For additional information on the issues discussed, consult a WayLit-affiliated attorney or another qualified professional.