On October 3, 2017, USCIS announced that it would begin accepting Premium Processing Requests for H-1B petitions in every filing category.  The program was temporarily suspended in April 2017 for H-1B filings, causing disruption to businesses that frequently rely on the expedite option to accommodate employee travel and maintenance of status. The H-1B Premium Processing program guarantees a 15-calendar day processing time upon submission of a duly executed request with the corresponding filing fee of $1,225.

All pending H-1B Petitions can now be upgraded to premium processing, and the request should be sent to the service center where the application is currently pending. Please contact your immigration attorney if you require assistance in making a premium processing upgrade request.