Premium Processing Requests on Form I-907: Eligible Petitions, Fees, and Processing Times

USCIS premium processing is a valuable service offered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency, designed to expedite the adjudication process for certain immigration applications. This article goes into the details of USCIS premium processing, outlining its benefits, eligibility criteria, and how it can be utilized to navigate the immigration process more effectively.

What is Premium Processing?

Premium Processing is an additional fee service offered by USCIS allowing applicants to expedite the processing of certain immigration petitions. By filing Form I-907 and paying the applicable filing fee, applicants can request much faster processing of their petitions, reducing the overall waiting time.

USCIS is required to provide a response within a specific timeframe or the filing fees may be refunded. A response can be an approval, denial, intent to deny, request for evidence or investigative action. In the event USCIS requests documents or information from the petitioner or applicant, the “clock” restarts once USCIS receives the requested items.

Who is Eligible for Premium Processing and What is the Processing Time?

Premium processing is available for the following forms:

Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker;
Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker;
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and
Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status.

The processing times vary by application type as noted below:

15 business days for most classifications;
30 business days for Form I-765 for F-1 students seeking OPT or STEM OPT extensions;
30 business days for Form I-539 applicants requesting a change of status to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2 nonimmigrant status, once all prerequisites, including receipt of biometrics, have been met;
45 business days for Form I-140 E13 multinational executive and manager and Form I-140 E21 national interest waiver classifications

Premium Processing Availability by Petition/Application Category Valid Starting March 1, 2026

Form I-129 Petitions	Nonimmigrant Classification	Filing Fee	Response Time (business days)
Treaty trader	E-1	$2,965	15 days
Treaty investor	E-2	$2,965	15 days
Certain Specialty Occupation Professionals from Australia	E-3	$2,965	15 days
Alien in specialty occupation	H-1B	$2,965	15 days
Temporary worker performing nonagricultural services	H-2B	$1,780	15 days
Trainee or special education exchange visitor	H-3	$2,965	15 days
Intracompany transferee, executive or manager capacity	L-1A	$2,965	15 days
Intracompany transferee, specialized knowledge professional	L-1B	$2,965	15 days
A petitioner meeting certain requirements which seeks continuous approval of itself and some or all of its parents, branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates	LZ (Blanket L-1)	$2,965	15 days
Alien of extraordinary ability or achievements in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics	O-1	$2,965	15 days
Alien providing essential support services for a principal O-1 alien	O-2	$2,965	15 days
Internationally recognized athlete or member of an internationally recognized entertainment group	P-1	$2,965	15 days
Essential Support Alien, highly skilled, who performs support services essential to the successful performance of the principal P-1 alien	P-1S	$2,965	15 days
Artist or entertainer under a reciprocal exchange program	P-2	$2,965	15 days
Essential support alien, highly skilled, who performs support services essential to the successful performance of the principal P-2 alien	P-2S	$2,965	15 days
Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program	P-3	$2,965	15 days
Essential support alien, highly skilled, who performs support services essential to the successful performance of the principal P-3 alien	P-3S	$2,965	15 days
International cultural exchange alien	Q-1	$2,965	15 days
Alien in a religious occupation	R-1	$1,780	15 days
NAFTA professional, Canada	TN-1	$2,965	15 days
NAFTA professional, Mexico	TN-2	$2,965	15 days
Form I-140 Petitions	Immigrant Classification	Filing Fee	Response Time
Aliens of extraordinary ability	E11 (EB-1)	$2,965	15 days
Outstanding professors and researchers	E12 (EB-1)	$2,965	15 days
Members of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability not seeking a National Interest Waiver	E21 (EB-2)	$2,965	15 days
Skilled workers⁴	E31 (EB-3)	$2,965	15 days
Professionals⁴	E32 (EB-3)	$2,965	15 days
Workers other than skilled workers and professionals	EW3	$2,965	15 days
Multinational executives and managers	E13 (EB-1)	$2,965	45 days
Members of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability seeking a national interest waiver	E21 (EB-2)	$2,965	45 days
Form I-765 EAD	Category	Filing Fee	Response Time
(c)(3)(A)	F-1 student, pre-completion Optional Practical Training	$1,780	30 days
(c)(3)(B)	F-1 student, post-completion Optional Practical Training	$1,780	30 days
(c)(3)(C)	F-1 student, 24-month extension for STEM Optional Practical Training	$1,780	30 days
Form I-539	Category	Filing Fee	Response Time
Academic Student or Dependent of F-1	F-1, F-2	$2,075	30 days
Vocational Student or Dependent of M-1	M-1, M-2	$2,075	30 days
Exchange Visitor or Dependent of J-1	J-1, J-2	$2,075	30 days

H-4 (and Other) Dependent Applications Not Eligible for Premium Processing Independently — But Can Be Bundled with Premium Processing H-1B Petitions

Unfortunately, premium processing is not available for Form I-539 applications filed for dependents of a Form I-129 beneficiary classification – for example, H-4.

When requesting Premium Processing for a principal applicant’s Form I-129, many petitioners wonder how this affects concurrently filed derivative applications, such as Form I-539 (for H-4 or L-2 dependents) and Form I-765 (for Employment Authorization). Previously, under the Edakunni settlement, USCIS was legally mandated to “bundle” these applications and adjudicate them simultaneously within the principal’s premium processing timeframe. Please note that this settlement expired on January 18, 2025. USCIS is no longer legally required to guarantee concurrent processing for derivative applications. While the agency often still adjudicates them together as a courtesy and matter of administrative efficiency when filed concurrently, it is no longer a formal policy. Consequently, applicants should be prepared for the possibility that dependent applications may be processed on a separate, standard timeline, even if the principal’s petition receives expedited premium processing.

Who Can Submit a Request – Can the Beneficiary of a Petition Request Premium Processing?

Only the applicant or the petitioner can request premium processing on a new or pending application or petition. For employment-based petitions (such as I-129 or I-140), only the petitioner (normally, the employer) can request the premium processing service.

Conclusion

Our office will continue to monitor and report developments on this and related topics. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help with a petition (with or without premium processing) or schedule a phone consultation. Also, please subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to ensure that you obtain this and related immigration-related news and announcements.

By Alexandra Michailov, Esq.| Last Updated: March 4th, 2026| Categories: Articles, News, News Alert|

About the Author: Alexandra Michailov, Esq.

Aleksandra has more than decade of experience in US immigration including employment-based immigration benefits, corporate compliance and family based immigration. She represents corporate and individual clients in a wide range of cross-border immigration matters including mobility of key foreign executives and managers, specialized knowledge workers, and foreign nationals with extraordinary ability.