The USCIS announced that it is temporarily suspending premium processing of all I-129 H-1B petitions.
The suspension will begin on April 3, 2017, the first business day for filing H-1B cap petitions. USCIS has indicated the suspension may last up to six months.
USCIS advised that the purpose of this temporary suspension is to better allocate its resources to provide better processing time for ALL petitions.
The USCIS has outlined some situations in which it will consider approving “expedited processing” for I-129 H-1B petitions. However, expedited processing has been available for many years and it is rarely been granted for I-129 petitions. We are hopeful that USCIS will be more generous in adjudicating this request now that premium process will not be available. Petitioners should not count on this as the main option to overcome a time crunch and should continue to plan and explore other options.
To read the USCIS Alert, please go to: