U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has indicated that will no longer offer courtesy premium processing to I-539 applications that are filed jointly with an I-129 petition. An I-539 petition is the petition used to extend the status of H-4 and L-2 dependents, among other visa types.
I-539 applicants are instead separated from an I-129 petition. As a result, I-539 applications will not be eligible for premium processing.
This change comes after USCIS revised form I-539 and published the new form I-539A. USCIS stated it can no longer offer its courtesy premium processing service I-539 applications because of the addition of biometric requirements for all I-539 applicants.
It generally takes three weeks to complete I-539 biometrics, which means it would be difficult for USCIS to meet the premium processing’s 15 day guarantee.
What Do I Need To Know?
Be aware that I-539 applications may now take longer to adjudicate than the I-129 petition. You can view current processing times for form I-539 here.
For additional information, please contact your Envoy-affiliated attorney or another qualified professional.
Envoy is pleased to provide you this information, which was prepared in collaboration with Ryan Bay, who is a Partner at Global Immigration Associates, P.C. (www.giafirm.com), Envoy’s affiliated law firm.
