U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the expansion of premium processing for applicants filing I-539 Change of Status applications to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1 and J-2 status.
The premium processing expansion for certain Form I-539 applicants will occur in phases, and nonimmigrants requesting premium processing should not file before these dates:
- Beginning June 13, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed via paper form or online, for applicants seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status, who have a pending Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.
- Beginning June 26, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for applicants seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 status, when filed together with Form I-539.
This phase of premium processing service is only available for change of status requests.
USCIS will reject premium processing requests for a pending Form I-539 if received before June 13. They will also reject premium processing requests when filed together with a Form I-539 if USCIS receives the request before June 26.
Applicants must submit their biometrics before premium processing can begin for these specific categories. Even if USCIS accepts an applicant’s Form I-907 and accompanying fees, the time limit for premium processing will not start running until the applicant and all co-applicants included on the Form I-539 submit their biometrics.
As previously announced, the expansion of premium processing is part of USCIS’ efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system. USCIS is expanding premium processing in a phased approach to ensure compliance with the with the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act, which prohibits the expansion of premium processing if it will increase processing times for the immigration benefit requests.