U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that, starting August 28, 2006, it will begin accepting Premium Processing requests for I-140 petitions filed on behalf of third-preference Professionals and Skilled Workers. This service, which was previously available only to certain 1-129 petitioners, requires the payment of a $1,000 fee. Under premium processing, USCIS guarantees petitioners that it will adjudicate the petition within 15 days of receipt, or, if it does not, refund the $1,000 fee and nevertheless, process the case as expeditiously as possible

If you are in the process of filing or have filed an I-140 petition for a Professional or Skilled Worker who falls under the third-preference category, and are interested in premium processing to speed the adjudication of the petition, please contact us.