USCIS Suspends Premium Processing (H-1B/ FY19)
USCIS announced on March 20th that the service would temporarily end premium processing for all applications subject to the FY19, including cap exemptions for master’s and upper level degree holders. As the April 2nd deadline draws near, USCIS prepares to accept fiscal year 2019, or FY19 H-1B petitions. Due to the extreme traffic of new petitions, USCIS will not provide premium processing to insure efficiency during the busy processing time. However, cases that do not fall under the FY19 H-1B cap can still receive premium processing if eligible. The suspension of premium processing is set to end on September 10, 2018. Until then, USCIS notes that it will reject any submission of a “Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, filed with an FY 2019 cap-subject H-1B petition.” USCIS intends to prioritize long pending cases during the suspension period.
Expedited Processing
Although premium processing will not be available, the USCIS website notes that expedited cases will still receive express consideration by USCIS officers. Those who qualify for expedited processing typically have extenuating circumstances that demand immediate attention. For instance, if there is a humanitarian need, or the position of employment is upon the request of the Department of Defense or other governmental agency invested in national security, the petition may qualify for expedited processing. To apply, qualified cases must submit an expedited service request through the National Customer Service Center and provide evidence that supports the claim for expedited processing. USCIS will only consider expedited requests that meet certain qualifications, so including documentation of your special circumstances will help to ease the process. Regardless, the extremely high filing traffic during this time of year will likely cause delays.