USCIS No Longer Accepting Premium Processing Requests for All Petitions

USCIS announced this morning, March 20, 2020, that it will no longer accept premium processing services for all nonimmigrant (I-129) and immigrant (I-140) petitions until further notice due to COVID-19.  USCIS will honor premium processing requests for petitions that have been received by USCIS and are pending on March 20.   

This temporary suspension includes petitions filed for the following categories:

· I-129: E-1, E-2, H-1B, H-2B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, 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.

· I-140: EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3.

For employers filing H-1B transfer petitions for individuals who are already in the US in H-1B status, please note that these individuals can change employers upon receipt of the new employer’s H-1B petition by USCIS.  UPS, Fedex or USPS delivery confirmation suffices for purposes of showing receipt by USCIS. The new employer’s petition does not need to be approved in order for the H-1B worker to change employers. We realize this can feel risky to the H-1B worker so we would be happy to discuss this with you and the candidate further. 

USCIS will notify the public when it is ready to resume premium processing. We will keep you posted in this regard. 

This alert is for informational purposes.  Please contact us if you would like to discuss this development further.