U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a phased resumption of the Premium Processing service. This had been suspended in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Beginning June 1, USCIS would begin accepting those eligible I-140 petitions that had requested Premium Processing.
Beginning June 8, USCIS will accept premium processing for H-1B cap exempt petitions and those filed before that date and awaiting a decision. This includes I-129 petitions which are not H-1B’s and also awaiting a decision having been filed before June 8.
As announced, there will be 2 additional phases for resuming Premium Processing.
On June 15, USCIS resumed processing H-1B petitions with concurrently filed I-907 and which are exempt because :
- the employer is cap exempt
- the beneficiary will be employed at a qualifying cap exempt entity or institution or
- the beneficiary is cap-exempt based on a Conrad/IGA Waiver which is primarily for foreign medical professionals
On June 22, USCIS begins the final phase and will resume the premium processing for all other form I-129 petitions such as H-1B Cap-subject petitions and change of status from F-1 nonimmigrant status.
USCIS reminds everyone that these dates are subject to change as they continue to receive more premium processing requests.
If you are unsure how to move forward with your petition, please contact us for assistance as the premium processing service resumes.