On May 10, 2019, USCIS made important updates to its policy manual regarding public services which appear in PA-2019-03. USCIS has clarified its policy regarding responses to service requests. It is the goal of USCIS to respond to a service request within 15 calendar days from the date the service…
Articles Posted in Premium Processing
Premium Processing Services for H-1B Applicants Requesting a Change of Status
Good news for H-1B FY 2020 applicants requesting a change of status. Premium processing services will be offered for applicants filing an H-1B petition in the April 2019 lottery who are requesting a change of status. Premium processing will be offered in a two-phased approach during the FY 2020 cap…
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions
USCIS has announced that it will resume premium processing services for all H-1B petitions on Tuesday, March 12. Applicants who have received a request for evidence (RFE) for a pending H-1B petition, should include Form I-907 request for premium processing along with the RFE response, if they wish to upgrade…
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for H-1B Petitions Filed on or before Dec. 21, 2018
Today February 15, 2019, USCIS announced that the agency will resume premium processing services on Tuesday February 19, 2019, for all H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21, 2018. Premium processing service remains suspended for H-1B petitions filed on or after December 22, 2018. USCIS will make an announcement…
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for FY 2019 H1B Cap Petitions
USCIS recently announced that beginning January 28th premium processing services for all fiscal year 2019 H-1B cap petitions will resume, including petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption (also known as the “master’s cap”). This means that any petitioner with a pending FY 2019 cap-subject petition may now upgrade the…
BREAKING: Premium Processing Fees to Increase Beginning September 30, 2018
BREAKING: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be publishing a final rule in the Federal Register tomorrow August 30, 2018, increasing the premium processing fee charged by the agency by 14.92 percent. According to USCIS the increase in the fee accounts for inflation according to the Consumer…
USCIS Extends Temporary Suspension of Premium Processing to February 19, 2019
During March of this year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the temporary suspension of premium processing services for all fiscal year 2019 cap-subject petitions, including petitions requesting an exemption from the general cap. USCIS announced that the suspension would last until September 10, 2018, in order…
H-1B Blunders: USCIS Announces Suspension of Premium Processing for FY 2019 H-1B Cap Subject Petitions, A Word of Warning
In what seems like déjà vu, today, March 20, 2018 the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) formally announced that the agency will be temporarily suspending premium processing service for all fiscal year 2019 cap-subject petitions, including petitions that seek an exemption for individuals who possess a U.S. master’s…
The H-1B Dilemma: Wave of Denials following Premium Processing upgrades
Over the course of the last few weeks, our attorneys have uncovered a disturbing trend in the adjudication of H-1B petitions (both cap subject and cap-exempt) that were upgraded to premium processing service in late October through November. As previously reported on our blog, the United States Citizenship and Immigration…
Immigration Updates: Premium Processing Resumes, New I-765 Form Allows Applicants to apply for SSN, and TPS Updates
Premium Processing Resumes for all H-1B Petitions Today, October 3, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made an official announcement letting the public know that premium processing service has resumed for all types of H-1B petitions including H-1B extension of stay petitions. What is premium processing? Premium…