What You Need to Know About Form I-907

No one likes to wait. Are you worried about your visa application processing taking too long? Are you on a tight time schedule and looking for ways to hasten the processing of your immigration papers?

Have you heard of Form I-907 or also referred to as Premium Processing? It can possibly remove a few months off your processing time. Here you can find how it works.

What is Form I-907?

Form I-907 is a Premium Processing Service offered by the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). The USCIS is in charge of issuing the immigration papers you’ll need before you may cross the U.S. border. Generally, because of the millions of applications the USCIS has to process, it may take years for certain visas to be approved. You only need to look on the USCIS website at the H-1B processing times to get an idea of how long it can take. But, the USCIS started this initiative to cut down the time it requires to reach a decision.

The Premium Processing Service was placed on hold for a while, but the USCIS decided in 2017 they would resume the service. It is important to keep in mind that Premium Processing comes at a cost and it does not improve your chances of a successful outcome. It simply cuts down the time required for processing. The USCIS guarantees they will reach a decision within 15 calendar days on every Form I-907.

Which Applications Are Eligible for Premium Processing?

So naturally, as with any official documentation, there are specific requirements to the I-907. It may only accompany certain types of visa applications and it won’t help to reach a faster decision with the H-1B visa lottery for example.

Please note in the cases of a visa beneficiary, the beneficiary can’t file for Premium Processing. The petitioner who files on behalf of the beneficiary must file the I-907. Here are the two groups eligible for the Premium Processing Service.

Form I-129 – Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker

There are quite a few visa categories within the group of the Form I-129 that are eligible for the I-907. Please note the service is currently suspended for all I-129 filings requesting an initial grant of status or change of details for beneficiaries within the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Here are the types of visas under the Form I-129 eligible for Premium Processing:

• E-1 – A treaty trader.
• E-2 – A treaty investor.
• H-1B – Alien in a specialty occupation.
• H-2B – Temporary worker performing nonagricultural services.
• H-3 – Trainee or special education exchange visitor.
• L-1A – Intracompany transferee, executive, or manager capacity.
• L-1B – Intracompany transferee, specialized knowledge professional
• LZ (Blanket L-1) – A petitioner meeting certain requirements which seeks continuous approval of itself and some or all of its parents, branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates.
• O-1 – Alien of extraordinary ability or achievements in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.
• O-2 – Alien providing essential support services for a principal O-1 alien.
• P-1 – Internationally recognized athlete or member of an internationally recognized entertainment group.
• P-1S – Essential support alien, highly skilled, who performs support services essential to the successful performance of the principal P-1 alien.
• P-2 – Artists or entertainers under a reciprocal exchange program.
• P-2S – Essential support alien, highly skilled, who performs support services essential to the successful performance of the principal P-2 alien.
• P-3 – Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program.
• P-3S – Essential support alien, highly skilled, who performs support services essential to the successful performance of the principal P-3 alien.
• Q-1 – International cultural exchange alien.
• R-1 – Alien in a religious occupation.
• TN-1 – A NAFTA professional from Canada.
• TN-2 – A NAFTA professional from Mexico.

Form I-140 – Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker

Form I-140 is a sought after visa. People who are eligible opt for this visa because it is a possible way to permanent resident status or otherwise known as a Green Card. Here are the types of visas included in the Form I-140 group eligible for the Premium Processing Service.

• EB-1 – Aliens of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives and managers.
• EB-2 – Members of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability.
• EB-3 – Skilled workers, professionals, and workers other than skilled workers and professionals.

How to Complete an I-907

Let’s get down to the business end of things. How do you complete the form? As mentioned before, the petitioner, attorney, or representative needs to file the I-907 on behalf of the visa recipient in the case of a visa beneficiary. Complete the form with black ink and write legibly in English. You can get the latest copy of the I-907 on the USCIS website.

You need to file a request for Premium Processing with every application package you submit at the USCIS. Here is a condensed list of the different sections you need to complete on the I-907.

• Part 1 – Information about the person filing the request.
• Part 2 – Information about the request.
• Part 3 – Requestor’s statement, contact information, declaration, certification, and signature.
• Part 4 – Interpreter’s contact information, certification, and signature.
• Part 5 – Contact information, declaration, and signature of the person preparing the request if other than the requestor (someone like your immigration attorney completing the form for you).
• Part 6 – Additional information, this section serves as extra space for when you run out of space in the previous sections.

Please remember to sign the form before you submit it at the USCIS. They will not accept any unsigned Form I-907.

How Much Does it Cost to File Form I-907?

Unlike an H-1B Visa Tracker website service, the I-907 has a cost involved. The price remained the same for the filing of a Form I-907 for a couple of years. But on October 1st, 2018 the USCIS changed it from $1,250 to $1,410. Remember this is the filing fee for the request of the I-907 only. You still need to pay for the filing fee of the actual visa application as well.

Pay promptly, because the payment date determines when the “15-day clock” starts ticking. There are no grounds under which the Premium Processing Service fee may be waived. The USCIS accepts credit card, debit card, and electronic transfer of funds from a U.S. bank account as a means of payment. In certain cases, you may also send a check or money order as payment, but rather ask the advice of a professional like an immigration attorney to ensure the USCIS gets your payment via physical mail.

Where to File Form I-907

The filing location of your Form I-907 depends on the application type you are requesting it for. Filing a Premium Processing request for a Form I-129 has different addresses than that of filing Premium Processing request for a Form I-140. Under no circumstances may you send a Premium Processing request to a USCIS Lockbox facility.

Conclusion

Are you concerned that your visa application will take too long? Are you looking for ways to hasten the processing of either a Form I-129 or Form I-140 application? You can always consider a Form I-907 request for Premium Processing Service.

The USCIS guarantees a decision regarding your case within 15 calendar days of paying the $1,410 filing fee. File an I-907 request with your next eligible visa application and save loads of time.

Edmunod Daco

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