U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has expanded the availability of Premium Processing for certain F-1 students. The expansion will occur in phases, and students wishing to request premium processing should not file before the announced processing date.
The F-1 students who are eligible for premium processing are those that are filing under:
- Pre-Completion OPT
- Post-Completion OPT
- 24-month Extension of OPT for STEM Students
The first phase of the expansion began on March 6, as USCIS started accepting Form I-907 requests (Request for Premium Processing), via paper or online, for the above F-1 students who already have a pending Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765).
Beginning April 3, the second phase of the expansion, USCIS will accept premium processing requests, via paper or online, for the above F-1 students who are initially or concurrently filing Form I-765. Any premium processing requests filed before April 3rd will be instantly rejected if the I-765 is not currently pending, or if it was not concurrently filed with an initial I-907 request.
The expansion of premium processing has been a highly requested addition to USCIS’s plans to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system. In the coming months, USCIS anticipates even further expansion of premium processing for certain student and exchange visitors with pending Form I-539 applications. As with the previous expansions, the future premium processing expansions will be released in a phased approach and will be announced accordingly.
To stay up to date on the coming expansions, and any other USCIS updates, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. For more information on F-1 Premium Processing, click here. Or, to schedule a consultation with Mr. Needle to start your F-1 application, message us for a free 30-minute phone consultation.