On March 11, 2019, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has lifted the suspension on premium processing of H-1B cases effective March 12, 2019. Premium processing guarantees that a properly filed petition is reviewed in 15 days for an additional fee of $1,410.

USCIS suspended premium processing for H-1B cap cases just before fiscal year 2019 (FY2019) cap season opened in April 2018. In August 2018, the agency expanded the suspension to encompass nearly all H-1B petitions (see Legal Update, USCIS Extends and Expands Premium Processing Suspension for H-1B Petitions).

On January 28, 2019, USCIS lifted the suspension on premium processing for FY2019 H-1B cap subject petitions only.

On February 19, 2019, the agency lifted the suspension on non-cap H-1B petitions filed before December 22, 2018.

With the agency ending the suspension entirely, premium processing is now available for all petitions requesting H-1B status.

For more information on preparing and filing H-1B petitions, see Practice Note, The H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification.