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.

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https://www.fragomen.com/insights/alerts/uscis-resume-premium-processing-phases-forms-i-129-and-i-140

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.