USCIS: H-1B Premium Processing for Certain Research Organizations, Colleges, Universities, Hospitals, and Other Cap-Exempt Petitioners Resumes

Following the Administration’s March 2017 halt to premium processing for H1-B Premium Processing services, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, effective immediately, premium processing would resume for certain petitions that may be exempt from the H-1B annual cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year.

Premium processing allows for USCIS application processing within 15 days at an additional cost.  Premium processing will resume if the H1-B petitioner is: (1) an institution of higher education; 2) a nonprofit related to or affiliated with an institution of higher education; (3) a nonprofit research or governmental research organization; or (4) if the beneficiary will be employed at a qualifying cap-exempt institution, organization, or entity.

This announcement follows USCIS’ decision on June 26, 2017, to resume premium processing for H-1B petitions filed on behalf of physicians under the Conrad 30 waiver program.  USCIS noted that premium processing will resume for other H-1B petitions as “workloads permit;” and that additional announcements with specific details will be forthcoming.

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