On March 20, 2018, the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) announced that premium processing will be suspended for H-1B cap petitions for all FY 2019 cap-subject petitions, including individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher.
However, H-1B petitions not subject to the cap, such as H-1B extensions and amendments, can continue using Premium Processing Service.
The USCIS has temporarily suspended the premium processing to minimize the overall H-1B processing time and to prioritize adjustment of status cases.
Any request for premium processing (Form I-907) filed with a cap-subject H-1B petition will be rejected. The USCIS will reject and return the entire petition to the petitioner if the petitioner submits one combined fee for both the Forms (I-129 and I-907).
It is expected that the premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petition will be suspended until September 10, 2018. The USCIS will announce before resuming premium processing for FY 2019 cap cases.
Sukanya Raman, Immigration Executive
(Keywords: USCIS, H-1B, Premium Processing, FY 2019)
