USCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap Petitions Effective April 2, 2018

20Mar
2018

USCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap Petitions Effective April 2, 2018

USCIS announced its decision to temporarily suspend premium processing for all Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap petitions, including petitions seeking an exemption for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher, starting April 2, 2018. This suspension is expected to last until Sept. 10, 2018.

However, during this time, USCIS will continue to accept premium processing requests for all other H-1B petitions that are not subject to the FY 2019 cap. USCIS will notify the public before resuming premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions or making any other premium processing updates.

During this temporary suspension, USCIS will reject any Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, filed with an FY 2019 cap-subject H-1B petition. If a petitioner submits one combined check for the fees for Form I-907 and Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, USCIS will reject both forms. When USCIS resumes premium processing, petitioners may file a Form I-907 for FY 2019 cap-subject H-1B petitions that remain pending.

While premium processing is suspended, petitioners may submit a request to expedite an H-1B petition if they meet the criteria on the Expedite Criteria webpage. USCIS will review all expedite requests on a case-by-case basis and requests are granted at the USCIS discretion.

Note: This temporary suspension of premium processing does not apply to other eligible nonimmigrant classifications filed on Form I-129.

If you have any questions about the USCIS temporary suspension of premium processing, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@songmenglaw.com.

Updated: 3/20/2018