USCIS announced on March 17, 2020 that premium processing will not be immediately available for H-1B cap petitions. At this time, USCIS has not suspended premium processing for other types of H-1B petitions ( extensions, transfers, etc).

The H-1B premium processing option will resume in phases for H-1B cap cases:

• For any cases where the petitioner has requested a change of status from F-1 (student status) to H-1B, USCIS will accept premium processing requests no later than May 27, 2020.
• The earliest date that USCIS will resume premium processing for all other cap-subject H-1B petitions is June 29, 2020.

USCIS will announce the specific date that premium processing will resume for F-1 change of status cases, and for the remaining cases, ahead of time. We will also post that information here, and we will notify our clients.

At this time, we still expect that USCIS will conduct the H-1B cap lottery on or about March 31, 2020, and that we will have 90 days to file selected petitions. Please keep in mind that the final day to register your H-1B cap petition in the lottery is noon on Friday, March 20, 2020.

We are here to help you navigate the immigration maze with peace of mind and confidence. Contact Sumner Immigration Law to set a consultation to create your strategy today! We are immigration lawyers in Richmond, VA but we serve clients throughout the U.S. and around the world. You can call us at 804-396-3412 or send us an email to info@sumnerimmigration.com. We look forward to hearing from you.