USCIS to Resume Premium Processing in a Staggered Approach Throughout June

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On March 20, 2020, USCIS suspended the premium processing service for all Form I-129 nonimmigrant visa petitions and Form I-140 immigrant visa petitions.  On May 29, 2020, USICS announced it will resume premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, in a staggered approach throughout June as follows:

  • Effective June 1, 2020, USCIS will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for all eligible Form I-140 petitions.

  • Effective June 8, USCIS will accept premium processing requests for: 

    -H-1B petitions filed before June 8 that are pending adjudication and are cap-exempt (for example, petitions filed by petitioners that are cap-exempt and petitions filed for beneficiaries previously counted toward the numerical allocations). 

    -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 (i.e., O-1, L-1, TN).

  •  Effective June 15, USCIS plans on resuming premium processing for: 

­-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).

 

  • Effective June 22, USCIS plans on resuming premium processing for 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 subject to change as USCIS continues to take on more premium processing requests and USCIS will announce any changes to these dates accordingly.Iandoli Desai & Cronin P.C. will be in touch with their effected clients to discuss upgraded and provide updates.