Beginning January 30, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers E-13 (EB-1C) multinational executive and manager petitions and E21 (EB-2) National Interest Waiver (NIW) petitions. On January 12, 2023, USCIS announced that this move is part of “the final phase of the premium processing expansion for Form I-140” and applies to all previously filed and new Form I-140 petitions under these classifications.
USCIS announced in September 2022 that the expansion of premium processing to additional form types was a part of USCIS’s effort to increase efficiency. USCIS has indicated that the premium processing adjudication period for these specific categories will be forty-five days.
USCIS previously confirmed that premium processing would be expanded to certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 STEM OPT extensions. In April 2023, USCIS will also expand premium processing to F-1 students seeking OPT and F-1 students seeking STEM OPT extensions who are filing an initial Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. USCIS will announce these dates in February 2023.
USCIS also confirmed that the agency is implementing, through a “phased approach,” expanded premium processing availability for Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, to be announced later in the year.