In normal times, petitioners can pay USCIS $1,440 for a guarantee that a case will be adjudicated in 15 days or less. However, this was completely suspended due to COVID-19. USCIS announced today that premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers will become available to applicants initially starting June 1, 2020. Depending on the submission date and petition type, the premium processing will be available as per the following dates:
June 1, 2020
§ Forms I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for all eligible Form I-140 petitions;
June 8, 2020
§ H-1B petitions filed before June 8 that are pending adjudication and are cap-exempt;
§ All other Form I-129 petitions (non H-1B petitions) for nonimmigrant classifications eligible for premium processing filed before June 8 that are pending adjudication;
June 15, 2020
§ H-1B petitions requesting premium processing by filing an I-907 concurrently with their I-129 (or request for a petition filed on or after June 8) and are exempt from the cap because:
The employer is cap-exempt or because the beneficiary will be employed at a qualifying cap-exempt institution, entity or organization (such as an institution of higher education, a nonprofit research organization or a governmental research organization); or
The beneficiary is cap-exempt based on a Conrad/IGA waiver under INA section 214(l).
June 22, 2020
All other Form I-129 petitions, including:
§ All H-1B cap-subject petitions (including those for fiscal year 2021), including change of status from F-1 nonimmigrant status, for both premium processing upgrades and concurrently filed I-907s;
§ All other Form I-129 petitions for nonimmigrant classifications eligible for premium processing and requesting premium processing by filing an I-907 concurrently with their I-129.
All dates are preliminary and subject to change as the agency takes on more premium processing requests.
Contact us today for more information regarding how COVID-19 related interruptions to U.S. immigration processes affect your business or your family.