Premium Processing Expansion Coming Soon for Some I-140s
USCIS will soon be expanding its premium processing services available to some pending I-140 petitions in the EB1(C) multinational executive category and I-140 petitions under the EB2 national interest waiver (NIW). This expansion is the second phase in USCIS’ effort to roll out the availability of the premium processing service.
Premium Processing Expansion Background
USCIS launched the first phase of expanded premium processing on June 1, 2022. This expansion was applied to EB-1C multinational executives and managers as well as EB-2 NIW I-140 categories in an effort to reduce backlogs and increase efficiency throughout the legal system. In a brief released on March 29, 2022, the agency said:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resource constraints resulting from the prior administration, USCIS inherited a significant number of pending cases and increased processing times. Through today’s actions by the Biden administration, USCIS is acting to reduce these caseloads and processing times, while also ensuring that fair and efficient services are available to applicants and petitioners.
In this same brief, USCIS released new internal cycle time goals.
See the last USCIS update here.
Phase Two Starting August 1st
Beginning August 2st, 2022 USCIS will start accepting requests for premium processing, Form I-907 for E-13 (EB-1C) multinational executive and manager petitions (received on or before July 1, 2021) and E21 (EB-2 NIW) petitions (received on or before August 1, 2021).
Will My Request Be Rejected If After These Dates?
Yes, be sure to follow the dates above for premium processing requests. Note that USCIS has 45 days to respond to these requests; not the typical 15 calendar days of receipt of the request. They will also NOT accept new Form I-140 filings with premium processing requests for these categories.
What is the Cost for Premium Processing?
The cost is still $2,500 for the expanded premium processing and with it USCIS guarantees the 45 days processing timeframe. Applications without premium processing are facing processing times of around 12-18 months.
Looking Ahead
We expect to see more expansions in the premium processing availability coming ahead in the EB1(c) and EB-2 NIW categories. Keep an eye on our blog for further updates on immigration services available. If you need assistance with your employment-based immigration case, the VisaNation Law Group attorneys have years of experience helping qualified individuals immigrate to the U.S. through their employment. Give them a call to schedule a consultation today!
