Overview: Premium processingAn optional USCIS service, requested on Form I-907 with an additional fee, that sets a fixed time frame for USCIS to act on certain petitions and applications. Within that time USCIS must issue an approval, denial, request for evidence or notice of intent to deny, or open a fraud investigation. It speeds up when USCIS acts, not the standard the case must meet, and only some forms and categories are eligible.See it in the glossary is an optional service, requested on Form I-907, that commits USCIS to act on certain petitions within a set number of business days. For Form I-140Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, filed by an employer (or in some categories the worker) to classify a person under an employment-based category.See it in the glossary, the fee is $2,965, and the clock is 15 business days for most categories or 45 for Multinational executive or manager (EB-1C)The EB-1 category for managers and executives transferred to a U.S. employer from a related company abroad. The person must have worked abroad for a qualifying organization for 1 year of the previous 3 and have a permanent job offer in a managerial or executive position with a U.S. employer that has been doing business for at least a year. The employer files Form I-140, and no labor certification is required. It is not available for opening a new U.S. office.See it in the glossary and the National Interest Waiver (NIW)A waiver of the job offer and labor certification requirement for certain EB-2 applicants. Under the Matter of Dhanasar framework, USCIS asks whether the proposed endeavor has substantial merit and national importance, whether the person is well positioned to advance it, and whether, on balance, it would benefit the United States to waive the job offer and labor certification requirements. Applicants can file the petition themselves.See it in the glossary. It speeds up a decision on the petition, not the green card itself.
Timeframes by category
- Form I-140, 15 business days: Extraordinary ability (EB-1A)The EB-1 category for people who can show sustained national or international acclaim, with achievements recognized in their field. The petition must include either a one-time major internationally recognized award or evidence meeting at least three of the criteria listed in 8 CFR 204.5(h)(3). No job offer or labor certification is required, and the person can file the Form I-140 on their own.See it in the glossary, EB-1B, EB-2 with a job offer, and EB-3.
- Form I-140, 45 business days: EB-1C multinational executives and managers, and EB-2 national interest waiver petitions.
- Other forms: 15 business days for most eligible Form I-129 petitions, such as Cap-subject and cap-exempt (H-1B)The H-1B category has an annual limit of 65,000 new visas or statuses per fiscal year, plus 20,000 more for people with a U.S. master's degree or higher. Petitions counted toward that limit are cap-subject. Petitions from higher education institutions, their related or affiliated nonprofits, and nonprofit or governmental research organizations are cap-exempt.See it in the glossary, L-1, and O-1, and 30 business days for F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT)Temporary work authorization that lets eligible F-1 students work in a job directly related to their field of study. It can be used before or after completing a program, for up to 12 months in total at each education level, and students with certain STEM degrees can apply for a 24-month extension. USCIS grants it on Form I-765 after the school's designated school official recommends it.See it in the glossary work permits and certain student and exchange visitor changes of status.
These timeframes are summarized by DeWitt LLP and match USCIS’s published categories. Business days exclude weekends and federal holidays.
What action means
USCIS commits to take action within the timeframe, not necessarily to approve. Action can be an approval, a denial, a Request for Evidence (RFE)A USCIS notice asking for additional documents or information before a decision can be made on an application or petition.See it in the glossary, or a notice of intent to deny. A request for evidence stops the clock, and a new one starts when USCIS receives the response. If USCIS takes no action in time, it refunds the premium fee, as this 2026 guide notes.
The cost
DHS adjusted premium fees for inflation in a January 2026 rule. For Form I-140, the fee rose from $2,805 to $2,965 for requests postmarked on or after March 1, 2026. It is paid on top of the regular filing fee.
When to request it
Form I-907 can be filed together with the petition or later for one that is already pending. For a later request, the clock starts when USCIS receives the I-907, not when the original petition was filed.
What it does not change
- The approval standard. Premium cases are judged by the same rules as regular ones.
- The Department of Labor stages. PERM and prevailing wage requests have no premium option.
- The visa queue. A faster I-140 approval does not move a priority date forward in the Visa Bulletin.
- The green card application. Form I-485 is not eligible for premium processing.