New U.S. Visa processing Service
On June 1st, 2001, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) launched
a new premium processing service for employment-based visas. The agency will
guarantee that applications will be processed within 15 calendar days for a
US$1,000 fee. The new expedited processing service is immediately available for
applicants in 9 visa classifications, including H-2B temporary workers in
low-skilled, non-agricultural jobs and H-2A seasonal agricultural workers.
Applicants for the H-1B visas designed for highly skilled foreign workers may
avail themselves of the expedited processing service as of July 30, 2001. The
US$1,000 fee reportedly cannot be waived under any circumstances. For example,
an employer using the processing fee service for an H-1B application must pay
the US$1,000 filing fee and the standard US$110 processing fee in addition to
the new US$1,000 expedited processing fee.
Link to U.S.
Citizenship and Immigartion Services
From the INS Web Site
What petitions and applications are part of the Premium Processing Service?
At this time, INS has designated only the Form I-129, (Petition for Nonimmigrant
Worker), for Premium Processing. Classifications within the Form I-129 eligible
for Premium Processing are:
- E-1 Treaty Trader;
- E-2 Treaty Investor;
- H-1B Temporary Workers in Specialty Occupations
- H-2A Agricultural Worker
- H-2B Temporary Worker
- H-3 Trainee
- L-1 Intra-company Transferees
- O-1 and O-2 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
- P-1, P-2 and P-3 Athletes and Entertainers
- Q-1 International Cultural Exchange Aliens
- R-1 Temporary Workers in Religious Occupations; and
- TN NAFTA Professionals
INS will continue to review the program and assess its ability to incorporate
other employment-based petitions and applications into the program.
December 2003
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