Premium Processing Resumes for Employment Based Petitions
The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday that effective June 29, 2009, Premium Processing Service for Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) based on certain employment based petitions for legal permanent residence will resume.
The USCIS suspended Premium Processing Service on I-140 petitions on June 2, 2007 due to an increase in applications when employment-based immigrant visas in all categories became available in July 2007.
Therefore, after a two-year evaluation of its backlog reduction efforts and increased efficiencies, the USCIS has now concluded that it is able to resume Premium Processing Service for I-140 petitions.
USCIS will now accept Premium Processing requests for Form I-140 under the following employment based categories:
- EB-1 Aliens with Extraordinary Ability;
- EB-1 Outstanding Professors and Researchers;
- EB-2 Members of Professions with Advanced Degrees or Exceptional Ability not seeking a National Interest Waiver;
- EB-3 Professionals or Skilled Workers; and
- EB-3 Workers other than Skilled Workers and Professionals.
Premium Processing Service will not be available at this time for form I-140 under the following categories:
- EB-1 Multinational Executives and Managers; and
- EB-2 Members of Professions with Advanced Degrees or Exceptional Ability seeking a National Interest Waiver.
To request Premium Processing on Form I-140 or any other application that can be premium processed, submit Form I-907 (Request for Premium Processing Service).
Premium Processing Service results in faster processing of the petition (15 to 21 days), a dedicated phone number ((866) 315-5718), and e-mail addresses (TSC-PremiumProcessing@dhs.gov or NSC-PremiumProcessing@dhs.gov) depending on the USCIS Service Center (Texas or Nebraska) having jurisdiction over the place of employment, to check on the status or ask any petitioners may have in connection with their petitions.
