11 March 2019

Premium Processing is Back for ALL H-1B Petitions

Premium Processing is back for ALL H-1B Petitions! USCIS will resume premium processing on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. USCIS notes the following:

  • If you have received a transfer notice for a pending H-1B petition, and you are requesting premium processing service, you must submit the premium processing request to the service center now handling the petition. A copy of the transfer notice should be included with your premium processing request. Failure to do so can lead to delays.
  • If you received a Request for Evidence (RFE) for a pending H-1B petition, you should also include the RFE response with the premium processing request.
  • If your petition was transferred and you send your premium processing request to the wrong service center, USCIS will forward it to the petition’s current location. However, the premium processing clock will not start until the premium processing request has been received at the correct center.

Here is a timeline of the premium processing debacle:

  • March 2018 – USCIS announced premium processing suspension for all cap-subject H-1B petitions filed for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
  • August 28, 2018 – USCIS announced that it was not only extending the premium processing suspension for H-1B cap-subject petitions, but that it was expanding the suspension to include H-1B Transfers, Amendments, and Extensions with Change in Previously Approved Employment.  As you can imagine, this was a huge blow to employers and employees.
  • January 28, 2019 – USCIS resumed premium processing for all FY 2019 H-1B cap subject petitions, but the expanded suspension was still in place
  • February 19, 2019 – USCIS resumed premium processing for all H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21, 2018
  • March 12, 2019 – USCIS resumed premium processing for all H-1B petitions

For additional information visit: https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-resumes-premium-processing-all-h-1b-petitions



Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

Posted March 11, 2019 by KrystalAlanis in category "H-1B", "Immigration News Updates

5 COMMENTS :

  1. By Tabitha on

    Hello, Does this include H1 transfer petitions too? Meaning, Can H1 transfer petition be filed now under premium processing? Thanks.

  2. By Sai Ram on

    Hi Krystal,

    Good Morning!

    Last week my attorney filed H-1B + H4 +H4EAD extensions concurrently and yesterday FedEx packet delivered to USCIS but not received any receipt numbers yet.

    If my employer upgrade H-1B amendment + extension petition to premium, Do that USCIS officer will approve my spouse H-4 and EAD extensions along with my H-1B extension togther? Because we sent all the three applications in same envelope by FedEx and we filed all the three applications concurrently and we will get three different receipt numbers soon.

    Do you see any cases like this? I mean once the 3 applications packet delivered to USCIS by regular processing and after that if we upgraded to premium do they approve all the three together?

    What would you suggest me to get approval for my spouse H-4EAD extension as soon as possible? Please let me know. Thank you!

    1. By KrystalAlanis (Post author) on

      Hi,

      If all petitions were filed together, USCIS will usually adjudicate them all at the same time (but they are not obligated to). This is also true when you submit the premium processing upgrade request. I hope this helps!

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