The USCIS premium processing service lets you pay an extra fee, on top of the regular filing fee, for a guaranteed decision timeline on certain immigration petitions and applications. As of March 1, 2026, the fee runs from $1,780 to $2,965 depending on the form and classification, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services commits to taking action within 15, 30, or 45 business days. Miss the window, and USCIS refunds the premium fee while continuing to work the underlying case.
You request the service by filing Form I-907, either with your original petition or later while it’s pending.
Which Filings Qualify
Premium processing is available for four forms only, and within those forms, only for specific classifications.1eCFR. 8 CFR 106.4 – Premium Processing Fee
- Form I-129 (nonimmigrant workers): H-1B, H-2B, H-3, L-1A, L-1B, O-1, O-2, P-1/P-2/P-3, Q-1, R-1, E-1/E-2/E-3, and TN.
- Form I-140 (employment-based immigrant petitions): all EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing
- Form I-765 (employment authorization): only F-1 students filing for pre-completion OPT, post-completion OPT, or the 24-month STEM OPT extension. No other EAD categories qualify.
- Form I-539 (change or extension of status): only when requesting a change to F-1, F-2, M-1, M-2, J-1, or J-2. Dependents of a Form I-129 beneficiary filing on Form I-539 cannot use premium processing.
What It Costs
USCIS adjusts the premium processing fee every two years for inflation under the USCIS Stabilization Act. The current amounts, in effect since March 1, 2026, are:3Federal Register. Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees
- $1,780 for Form I-129 H-2B and R-1 petitions, and Form I-765 OPT and STEM OPT applications.
- $2,075 for Form I-539 change-of-status requests to F, M, or J classifications.
- $2,965 for all other Form I-129 petitions (H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN, E-1/E-2/E-3, and the rest) and every Form I-140 employment-based petition.
The premium fee is a separate payment from the underlying form’s filing fee. Any Form I-907 postmarked on or after March 1, 2026 has to carry the new amount, or USCIS will reject it and return the payment.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
How Fast USCIS Has to Act
The processing clock starts when USCIS receives a properly completed Form I-907 with the correct fee at the right address. Timeframes are measured in business days, not calendar days.
- 15 business days: most Form I-129 petitions, plus Form I-140 filings in EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-2 without a national interest waiver, and all EB-3 categories.
- 30 business days: Form I-765 OPT and STEM OPT, and Form I-539 change-of-status applications to F, M, or J.
- 45 business days: Form I-140 for EB-1C multinational executives and managers, and EB-2 national interest waiver petitions.
Within that window, USCIS has to take some kind of adjudicative action: approve the case, deny it, issue a notice of intent to deny, send a request for evidence, or open a fraud investigation. Any of those satisfies the guarantee.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing
What Happens After a Request for Evidence
An RFE or a notice of intent to deny stops the clock entirely. When you respond, the clock does not pick up where it left off. A brand-new period of the same length starts from the day USCIS receives your response. A 15-day case with an RFE issued on day 10 becomes a fresh 15 business days once your reply arrives.
The Refund Guarantee
If USCIS fails to take any adjudicative action within the applicable timeframe, it must refund the premium processing fee. The underlying petition keeps moving through adjudication either way. You either get a timely decision or you get the premium fee back.
Filing Form I-907
Only the petitioner, the applicant, or their attorney or accredited representative may file the request. Beneficiaries and co-applicants of the underlying petition cannot file Form I-907 for themselves.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-907, Instructions for Request for Premium Processing Service
Concurrent or Upgrade
You can file the I-907 at the same time as the underlying petition (concurrent filing) or later while the petition is still pending (upgrade filing). Concurrent filings skip the receipt number field because none has been assigned yet, and the I-907 goes to the same address as the underlying form. Upgrade filings require the receipt number from the pending case, which appears on the Form I-797 acceptance notice.
Paper or Online
USCIS accepts Form I-907 on paper and through the online filing system at myaccount.uscis.gov. For Form I-539 cases, the I-907 has to be filed the same way the I-539 was: online with online, paper with paper. For H-1B cap-subject petitions, online filing of the petition and its I-907 opens on April 1 each year, once the registration selection process wraps up.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H-1B Cap Season
Paying the Fee
USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings. Paper filers pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or by direct debit from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650. Online filers pay through Pay.gov. If the transaction is denied, USCIS may reject the whole filing, so confirm funds and fee amount before you submit.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds
Why Requests Get Rejected
USCIS will reject a Form I-907 without processing it if the fee is wrong, the form edition is outdated, the classification doesn’t qualify, or the agency can’t match the I-907 to the underlying petition. For OPT filings, the I-907 will also be rejected if it can’t be matched to a pending I-765. Download the current version of the form from uscis.gov/i-907 and check that every identifier matches your underlying petition.
When Premium Processing Is Suspended
USCIS has the authority to suspend premium processing for specific categories or across the board, and it has done so during past H-1B cap seasons and periods of high volume. When a suspension is in effect, you can still ask for expedited handling under separate USCIS expedite criteria, but that decision is discretionary. Check the USCIS website for active suspension notices before you file Form I-907.