The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service has once again announced that it will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions in an effort to reduce processing times.  The suspension will apply to all petitions filed beginning on April 2, 2018 that are subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 cap.

During the suspension period, which is expected to last until September 10, 2018, petitioners will be unable to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, with any FY 2018 cap-subject H-1B petition.  USCIS will also reject the filing of any Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, which is accompanied by a Form I-907 and a combined check for all the fees. 

Premium processing requests will still be accepted for H-1B petitions that are not subject to the FY 2019 cap.  Petitioners may also submit a request to expedite an H-1B petition if they meet the criteria on the Expedite Criteria webpage.  Documentary evidence should be submitted to support such a petition.  Expedite requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and decisions will be made at the agency’s discretion.

For more information, H-1B petitioners can subscribe to email updates on the H-1B FY 2019 Cap Season webpage.