News: USCIS Announces Temporary Suspension of Premium Processing for All I-129 and I-140 Petitions Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

<h1> <div id=”ct-title”> USCIS Announces Temporary Suspension of Premium Processing for All I-129 and I-140 Petitions Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic </div> </h1> <div id=”main-body”> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p> Alert: While premium processing is suspended, petitioners may submit a request to expedite their petition if it meets the criteria on the <a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/how-make-expedite-request” > Expedite Criteria webpage </a> . It is the petitioner’s responsibility to demonstrate that they meet at least one of the expedite criteria. All expedite requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and requests granted at the discretion of USCIS office leadership. </p> </div> <p> U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the immediate and temporary suspension of premium processing service for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions until further notice due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). </p> <p> Effective today, March 20, 2020, USCIS will not accept any new requests for premium processing. USCIS will process any petition with a previously accepted <a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/i-907″> Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service </a> , in accordance with the premium processing service criteria. However, we will not be able to send notices using pre-paid envelopes. We will only send batch-printed notices. Petitioners who have already filed a <a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/i-129″> Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker </a> , or <a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/i-140″> Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers </a> , using the premium processing service and who receive no agency action on their case within the 15-calendar-day period will receive a refund, consistent with 8 CFR 103.7(e). We will notify the public with a confirmed date for resuming premium processing. </p> <p> USCIS will reject the I-907 and return the $1,440 filing fee for all petitions requesting premium processing that were mailed before March 20 but not yet accepted. </p> <p> This temporary suspension includes petitions filed for the following categories: </p> <p> I-129: E-1, E-2, H-1B, H-2B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, LZ, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1, R-1, TN-1 and TN-2. </p> <p> I-140: EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3. </p> <p> This includes new premium processing requests for all H-1B petitions, including H-1B cap-subject petitions for fiscal year 2021, petitions from previous fiscal years, and all H-1B petitions that are exempt from the cap. USCIS previously <a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-announces-temporary-suspension-premium-processing-fy2021-cap-subject-petitions” > announced </a> the temporary suspension of premium processing for FY 2021 cap-subject petitions and tentative dates for resumption of premium processing service. This announcement expands upon and supersedes the previous announcement. </p> <p> For current Form I-129 and I-140 processing times, visit the <a href=”https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/”> Check Case Processing Times page </a> and the <a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/h-1b-electronic-registration-process” > H-1B page </a> on the USCIS website. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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