USCIS Suspends Premium Processing for I-129 and I-140 Petitions
March 23, 2020 |
Immigration Blog
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, USCIS has temporarily suspended its premium processing service for all form I-129 (nonimmigrant worker) and I-140 (immigrant worker) petitions.
Petitions for forms I-129- or I-140-related premium processing that were mailed prior to March 20th, but which were not yet accepted for processing as of Friday (March 20th), will be rejected. Petitioners who already filed form I-129 or form I-140 whose cases are not adjudicated within the 15-calendar-day period for normal premium processing will have their premium processing fees refunded.
This temporary suspension includes petitions filed for the following categories:
- I-129: E-1, E-2, H-1B, H-2B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, LZ, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1, R-1, TN-1 and TN-2 petitions
- I-140: EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 preference category petitions
The regular processing time for most I-129 nonimmigrant petitions in the above categories is estimated at between 3 weeks and 11 months, depending on the type of petition and location of filing. Regular processing of I-140 immigrant petitions is estimated to take between 4 and 7.5 months currently. You can check the processing times based on the type of form and required filing location at https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/.
There is no information about when USCIS anticipates it will resume its premium processing service for the above-listed petition types. Lippes Mathias will continue to monitor the situation and post on this blog when we have updates on the availability of USCIS premium processing.
Please reach out to the immigration team at Lippes Mathias for additional information on this and other COVID-19-related immigration news.
Disclaimer: The information in this post is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from our firm or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
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