Premium Processing for Extension of Stay H-1B Petitions Suspended

With effect from May 26, 2015, USCIS will temporarily suspend all premium processing H-1B Extension of Stay petitions until July 27, 2015. However, USCIS will continue to premium process any applications filed with Form I-907 before May 26. USCIS will refund the money to the petitioners if:

• Petition is filed for premium processing before May 26 and
• USCIS did not process the case within 15 calendar-days

And during the said time period i.e. from May 26 to July 27, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907 requesting premium processing for Form I-129, for non-immigrant H-1B Extension of Stay. The suspension of premium processing comes in view of the new regulations that allow spouses of certain H-1B visa holders to obtain employment authorization. What is Premium Processing Service? USCIS offers faster processing of applications/petitions for certain employment based petitions. Under premium processing service, the petition is processed within 15 calendar-days or the money is refunded to the petitioner. And even after the money is refunded, the case still receives expedited processing. So for time being, applicants would not be able to use premium processing service until July 27 this year. Source: USCIS For more news and updates on immigration and visas, please subscribe to Y-Axis News