Category: I907

USCIS Premium Processing Fees Increase on February 26 2024

1/5/2024

USCIS has announced that fees will increase for all requests for Premium Processing. The increases will apply to all requests for premium processing that are postmarked on or after February 26, 2024. According to the USCIS, one reason for the increase is to account for inflation in 2021, 2022, and the first half of 2023.

The guaranteed premium processing time for most non-immigrant and immigrant employment-based petitions is 15 calendar days (45 days for certain Form I-140 Immigrant Petitions) and 30 days for Form I-539 and I-765 applications filed by individuals.

The following table, provided by the USCIS, shows the fees currently in effect as well as the fees that will apply starting February 26, 2024:

Read USCIS' announcement here.

If USCIS receives a Form I-907 postmarked on or after Feb. 26, 2024 with the incorrect filing fee, we will reject the Form I-907 and return the filing fee. For filings sent by commercial courier (such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL), the postmark date is the date reflected on the courier receipt.

ALERT: Starting June 26, 2024, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for applicants seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status, when filed together with Form I-539.
As of June 13, 2023, USCIS has been accepting Form I-907 requests, filed via paper form or online, for applicants seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status, who have a pending Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.

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Premium Processing I-907 for I-539 Change of Status for Students

6/12/2023

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On June 12, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing for applicants filing Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, and seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 nonimmigrant status. Online filing of Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, will also be available for these applicants.

The premium processing expansion for certain Form I-539 applicants will occur in phases, and nonimmigrants requesting premium processing should not file before these dates:

Beginning June 13, 2023, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed via paper form or online, for applicants seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status, who have a pending Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.
Beginning June 26, 2023, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for applicants seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status, when filed together with Form I-539.

This phase of premium processing service is only available for change of status requests. Premium processing is not available for individuals seeking an extension of stay in M-1 or M-2 status.

USCIS will reject premium processing requests for a pending Form I-539 if received before June 13. USCIS will reject premium processing requests when filed together with a Form I-539 if USCIS receives the request before June 26, 2023.

Important reminder: You must submit Form I-907 the same way you submit Form I-539.

If you mail a paper Form I-539 to us, you must mail a paper Form I-907.
If you submit Form I-539 online, you must submit Form I-907 online.

I-907 Filing fee $1,750 if you are requesting premium processing for a pending Form I-539 seeking change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 nonimmigrant status.

It is expected that the decision will be made within 30 days.

As previously announced, the expansion of premium processing is part of USCIS’ efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system. USCIS is expanding premium processing in a phased approach to ensure compliance with the with the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act, which prohibits the expansion of premium processing if it will increase processing times for the immigration benefit requests.

Briefly in Russian:

Начиная с 13 июня 2023 заявители на СМЕНУ статуса на СТУДЕНЧЕСКИЙ статус, а именно F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 , которые уже подали заявление на смену статуса, и оно находится на рассмотрении в USCIS (pending Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status), смогут подать на УСКОРЕНИЕ рассмотрения заявления на смену статуса, подав форму на ускорение I-907.

Если вы подавали I-539 по почте - подаете форму об ускорении тоже по почте.

Если вы подавали I-539 онлайн - подаете онлайн.

Если вы еще не подали - то одновременная подача будет возможна с 26 июня.

Госпошлины указаны на сайте USCIS. Госпошлина за ускорение смены статуса на F-1 student, $1,750.

Ожидается, что решение по вашему делу по ускорению будут принято в течение 30 дней

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F-1 OPT and STEM OPT Students are Eligible for Premium Processing

3/6/2023

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions who have a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and wish to request a premium processing upgrade.

I-907 filing fee of $1,500 must be paid separately.

Online filing of Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, is now also available to F-1 students in these categories. USCIS continues to accept the latest paper version of this form by mail.
“The availability of premium processing for certain F-1 students, in addition to the ease of online filing, will streamline the immigration experience for a great many international students,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “The ongoing expansion of online filing is a priority for USCIS as we continue to create operational efficiencies and increase access to the immigration system for stakeholders, applicants, petitioners, requestors, and those we serve.”
Premium processing expansion for certain F-1 students will occur in phases, and students requesting premium processing should not file before these dates:

Beginning March 6, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for certain F-1 students who already have a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, if they are filing under one of the following categories:
- (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;
- (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and
- (c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for STEM students.
Beginning April 3, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for F-1 students in the above categories when filed together with Form I-765.

USCIS will reject premium processing requests for a pending Form I-765 if received before March 6, and will reject any premium processing request for an initial or concurrently filed Form I-765 that is received before April 3, 2023.
To file Form I-907 online, an applicant must first create a USCIS online account, which provides a convenient and secure method to submit forms, pay fees, and track the status of any pending
USCIS immigration request throughout the adjudication process. There is no cost to set up a USCIS online account, which offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS through a secure inbox and respond to Requests for Evidence online.
Applicants who previously filed a paper Form I-765 and wish to file Form I-907 online to request premium processing should reference the USCIS Account Access Notice they received for the Online Access Code and details on how to link their paper-filed cases to their online account, or they will not be able to file Form I-907 online and will need file a paper Form I-907 with the Chicago lockbox.
As previously announced, the expansion of premium processing is part of USCIS’ efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, and is being implemented in a phased approach.
The addition of online filing for Form I-907 brings the total number of forms available for online filing to 16. The Forms Available to File Online page has links to file all of these forms. USCIS continues to accept the latest paper versions of all forms by mail. More than 1.8 million applications, petitions and requests were filed online in FY 2022, a 53% increase from the 1.2 million filed in FY 2021.

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USCIS Temporarily Suspends Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions Effective April 3 2017

3/3/2017

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Update: March 05 2017:

Major changes are expected in H-1B work visa program, either by the president's executive order or by the act of Congress, or both. A new bill was introduced in Congress. And DHS had already suspended Premium Processing for all H-1B I-129 applications file on April 3, 2017.

Read a detailed overview here.

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USCIS published the following announcement:

Starting April 3, 2017, USCIS will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions. This suspension may last up to 6 months. While H-1B premium processing is suspended, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker which requests the H-1B nonimmigrant classification.

We will notify the public before resuming premium processing for H-1B petitions.

Who Is Affected

The temporary suspension applies to all H-1B petitions filed on or after April 3, 2017. Since FY18 cap-subject H-1B petitions cannot be filed before April 3, 2017, this suspension will apply to all petitions filed for the FY18 H-1B regular cap and master’s advanced degree cap exemption (the “master’s cap”). The suspension also applies to petitions that may be cap-exempt.

While premium processing is suspended, we will reject any Form I-907 filed with an H-1B petition. If the petitioner submits one combined check for both the Form I-907 and Form I-129 H-1B fees, we will have to reject both forms.

We will continue to premium process Form I-129 H-1B petitions if the petitioner properly filed an associated Form I-907 before April 3, 2017.

Therefore, we will refund the premium processing fee if:

The petitioner filed the Form I-907 for an H-1B petition before April 3, 2017, and
We did not take adjudicative action on the case within the 15-calendar-day processing period.

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

Requesting Expedited Processing

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. It is the petitioner’s responsibility to demonstrate that they meet at least one of the expedite criteria, and we encourage petitioners to submit documentary evidence to support their expedite request.

As a rule, USCIS may expedite a petition or application if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

Severe financial loss to company or person;
Emergency situation;
Humanitarian reasons;
Nonprofit organization whose request is in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States;
Department of Defense or national interest situation (These particular expedite requests must come from an official U.S. government entity and state that delay will be detrimental to the government.);
USCIS error; or
Compelling interest of USCIS.

We review all expedite requests on a case-by-case basis and requests are granted at the discretion of the office leadership.

Why We Are Temporarily Suspending Premium Processing for H-1B Petitions

This temporary suspension will help to reduce overall H-1B processing times. By temporarily suspending premium processing, we will be able to:

Process long-pending petitions, which we have currently been unable to process due to the high volume of incoming petitions and the significant surge in premium processing requests over the past few years; and
Prioritize adjudication of H-1B extension of status cases that are nearing the 240 day mark.

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USCIS Premium Processing Fees Increase on February 26 2024

Premium Processing I-907 for I-539 Change of Status for Students

F-1 OPT and STEM OPT Students are Eligible for Premium Processing

USCIS Temporarily Suspends Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions Effective April 3 2017

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