16 February
2019
Premium Processing Resumes for H-1B Petitions Filed on or Before December 21, 2018
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will resume premium processing on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, for all H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21, 2018. USCIS noted 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.
The previously announced suspension remains in effect for those H-1B petitions filed on or after December 22, 2018 (For H-1B Transfers, Amendments, and Extensions with Change in Previously Approved Employment).
Premium processing remains available for all fiscal year (FY) 2019 H-1B cap subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption (“master’s cap”).
I will provide further updates here once made available by USCIS.