The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency has recently announced a suspension on premium processing for all H-1B petitions for Fiscal Year 2019. The suspension, while only temporary. This is in response to the H-1B petitions for Fiscal Year 2019 that will begin to be accepted on April 2, 2018. The USCIS believes that the suspension will only last until September 10, 2018. Throughout the suspension, all applications for the following will be rejected:
- Request for Premium Processing Service for a FY 2019 H-1B petition that is subject to the annual cap
- Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker that is filed in combination with the Request for Premium Processing Service
It is important to note that this is also applicable to individuals who request premium processing that have a United States master’s degree or higher. The primary goal behind the USCIS’s temporary suspension is to reduce the processing times overall. The USCIS believes that this suspension will allow them the needed time to process petitions that have been pending for a long time that were not able to be addressed due to the surge in the number of premium processing requests submitted over the last several years. In addition, the USCIS will be able to prioritize the H-1B petitions that are getting close to being pending for 240 days.
If you have questions about how this suspension may impact you, contact our firm today.
The Law Offices of Cheryl R. David practices immigration law throughout NYC. If you have questions about your particular matters regarding immigration please contact the office to discuss your circumstances and options.
