Premium processing of H-1B visa gets more expensive, the scope expanded to cover some other visas
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Premium processing of H-1B visa: On 1st October the US Senate passed a bill to prevent a shutdown and support the government till 11th December 2020. The Bill – HR 8337, empowers its immigration agency to quickly process more visa classes. It includes employment authorization documents and certain green card categories.
An aspect of the bill, Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act, permits the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to charge more for premium processing of visas and expand it to cover more classes.
USCIS depends entirely on fee income and has been looking for a bailout. To permit it to keep on working, following a slump in visa expenses on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, this move is probably going to help the immigration agency, earn a higher income, and avoid furlough of its employees.
This bill is unique about the Final rule proposing an expansion in visa expenses from 2nd October 2020. Which was obstructed by a US Federal Court on Tuesday.
This bill is unique from the Final rule proposing an increase in visa fees from 2nd October, which was recently blocked by a US Federal Court on Tuesday.
[DOL Releases $150M To Fill H-1B Worker Shortages]
As of now, processing employment documents for H4 visa holders (spouse of H-1B visa holders) can take up to 6 months, during which time they can’t work in the United States. The capacity to apply for premium processing for H-1B visa would cut down the processing time to under 30 days. The exact fees would be determined by USCIS and would be under $1,500. Also, the new bill permits USCIS more flexibility by the way it can utilize the income.
Premium processing for H-1B visa to cost more
The premium processing fee amount for classifications where it is as of now available, similar to H-1B and L-1 visas. However, it has been expanded from $1,440 to up to $2,500. The fee charged for the normal processing of visas stays unchanged.
Additionally, the bill allows for extending premium processing to green cards under the EB-1C category, which applies to multinational executives. A few candidates from India are in the US on an L-1 visa and would benefit from this inclusion.
