On March 20, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended the premium processing service for all Form I-129 and Form I-140 visa petitions due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak [PDF version].
The suspension only applies prospectively. The USCIS will reject any Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, filed on or after March 20, 2020, while premium processing remains suspended.
In cases where the petitioner mailed a request for premium processing before March 20, 2020, but the USCIS had not yet accepted it, the USCIS will reject the Form I-907 and return the $1,440 filing fee to the petitioner.
The USCIS will continue to process Form I-129 and Form I-140 petitions previously accepted with the Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, under the premium processing criteria. In those cases, however, the USCIS will not send notices using pre-paid envelopes. If the USCIS fails to process any petitions previously filed with a request for premium processing within the 15-day premium processing timeframe, the petitioner will be refunded the premium processing fee.
The following categories are affected by the temporary suspension of premium processing:
Form I-129: E1, E2, H1B, H2B, H3, L1A, L1B, LZ, O1, O2, P1, P1S, P2, P2S, P3, P3S, Q1, R1, TN1, and TN2.
Form I-140: EB1, EB2, and EB3
The USCIS will update its website with new information when it resumes the premium processing service for Form I-129 and Form I-140 petitions.
