U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday announced the premium processing of work authorisation for qualifying F-1 students.
This news is seen as a beneficiary move for a large number of Indian students in the US on F-1 visa seeking temporary employment.
The department in its circular states, "For the first time, Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, is also available to file online for students seeking optional practical training (OPT) or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT."
“The availability of premium processing for certain F-1 students, in addition to the ease of online filing, will streamline the immigration experience for a great many international students,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou.
“The ongoing expansion of online filing is a priority for USCIS as we continue to create operational efficiencies and increase access to the immigration system for stakeholders, applicants, petitioners, requestors, and those we serve.” he added.
Premium processing expansion for certain F-1 students will occur in phases, and students requesting premium processing should not file before these dates:
Beginning March 6:
Form I-907 requests will be accepted, filed via paper form or online, for certain F-1 students who have a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, if they are filing under one of these categories:
(c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;
(c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and
(c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for STEM students.
Beginning April 3
Form I-907 requests will be accepted, filed via paper form or online, for F-1 students in the above categories when filed together with a Form I-765.
If requests for a pending Form I-765 is received before March 6 then it will be rejected and similarly request for premium processing concurrently filed Form I-765 is received before April 3 then it will also be rejected.
To file Form I-907 online, you must first create a USCIS online account, which provides a convenient and secure method to submit forms, pay fees, and track the status of any pending USCIS immigration request throughout the adjudication process. There is no cost to set up a USCIS online account, which offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS through a secure inbox and respond to Requests for Evidence online. If you have previously filed a USCIS form online, you may use your existing USCIS online account.
Applicants who previously filed a paper Form I-765 and wish to file Form I-907 online to request premium processing should reference the USCIS Account Access Notice they received for the Online Access Code and details on how to link their paper-filed cases to their online account, or they will not be able to file Form I-907 online and will need file a paper Form I-907 with the Chicago lockbox.
Only certain F-1 students seeking OPT or STEM OPT extensions may file Form I-907 online at this time. Applicants who file a paper Form I-907, or any other USCIS form, can still create an online account to track the status of their form throughout the adjudication process, even if they did not file the form online. To find more information about which forms are available for online filing, visit our Forms Available to File Online page.
USCIS said, "it is committed to making technology and operational improvements to reduce processing times. As previously announced, the expansion of premium processing is part of USCIS’ efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, and is being implemented in a phased approach. ."
The addition of online filing for Form I-907 brings the total number of forms available for online filing to 16. The Forms Available to File Online page has links to file all of these forms. USCIS continues to accept the latest paper versions of all forms by mail.
It also said that more than 1.8 million applications, petitions and requests were filed online in FY 2022, a 53% increase from the 1.2 million filed in FY 2021.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
