February 25, 2021
Yesterday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective immediately, employers can request 15-day processing for certain Australian E-3 Nonimmigrant Petitions. Specifically, expedited service will now be available for E-3 Extension of Status and Change of Status petitions, for a $2,500 Premium Processing fee.
This expansion of Premium Processing services has been made possible due to special legislation, which was enacted last year. Under that law, USCIS has the authority to further expand Premium Processing, to other case types. The agency has not yet announced other case types which might become eligible for Premium Processing service. However, yesterday’s announcement is a positive sign, that other, extremely backlogged categories might be made eligible for expedited processing in the coming months.
Please contact me or another member of our Immigration Practice Team if you have any questions, or would otherwise like to discuss