USCIS Premium Processing Expansion of Form I-539
USCIS announces premium processing Heading link
As previously announced by our office in March 2023, today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the expansion of Premium Processing for applicants seeking to change status to F or J nonimmigrant.
The USCIS expansion of Premium Processing relating to Form I-539 will occur in the following phases:
- Beginning today, June 13, for applicants that have a pending Form I-539 that are seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 status (or to M), USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests for Premium Processing. In summary, this would be considered an upgrade request to Premium Processing of a pending Form I-539 filed with USCIS prior to June 13;
- Beginning Monday, June 26, for applicants that are filing an initial Form I-539 that are seeking a change of status to F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 status (or to M), USCIS will also accept concurrent Form I-907 requests for Premium Processing. In summary, this would be considered new requests of Premium Processing that are concurrently filed with Form I-539.
Please note that USCIS will reject Premium Processing requests for a pending Form I-539 if received prior to June 13, and will reject Premium Processing requests when filed together with Form I-539 if received prior to June 26.
Additionally, the announcement explains that if you decide to apply for Premium Processing, you must submit Form I-907 in the same manner (paper or online) as Form I-539 and provide the required biometrics. To file Form I-907 online, applicants must first create a USCIS online account.
Members of the UIC international community in the process of or considering a change of status to F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 should connect with their OIS advisor to discuss options for adding Premium Processing to their case. OIS will continue to monitor the USCIS expansion of Premium Processing and update the UIC community as needed. As always, if there are any questions or concerns about this announcement, please feel free to contact us at ois@uic.edu or (312) 996-3121.