Effective today, October 19, 2020 USCIS has increased the fee for premium processing from $1,440 to $2,500 for all non-immigrant work visa filings including H1-B visas. Petitioners seeking to expedite the adjudication of their applications can use the Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing to get an answer within 15 business days for this additional fee of $2,500.
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All I-907 forms requesting expedited adjudication that are postmarked on or after October 19, 2020 will be liable to pay the hiked fees. For commercial couriers like FedEx and UPS the postmark date taken into account will be the date reflected on the courier receipt. Any I-907 forms for premium processing received after October 19, 2020 with the previous fee of $1,440 will be returned.
As approved by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 & Other Extensions Act signed into law on October 1, 2020, this exponential increase in fee is to help USCIS mitigate their budget deficits and facilitate growth of the agency.
Who Has To Pay The Increased Premium Processing Fees Of $2,500
According to the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 USCIS will charge the new premium processing fee of $2,500 to the following petitioners:
- Form I-140 petitions filed on behalf of EB-1 Multinational Managers and Executives, as well as those filing for an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) for employment-based green cards;
- Form I-765 applications for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) work authorization;
- Form I-539 applications filed by dependents in H-4, L-2, E-3D, E-2, O-3, P-4, R-2 status (by spouses and children of individuals in H-1B, L-1, E-3, E-2, O-1, P and R-1 status);
- Form I-539 applications filed for individuals seeking to change status to F or M (student) status or J (cultural and educational exchange) status, and
- Any other immigration benefit type deemed appropriate by the Secretary.
Who Is Exempted From The Premium Processing Fee Hike?
USCIS is increasing the premium processing fees for all filings except those from petitioners requesting H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status. The increase in premium processing fee for petitioners filing Form I-129 requesting H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status is from $1,440 to $1,500.
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