The US immigration services have offered speedy disposal of green card applications from employers who want to sponsor H-1B visa holders nearing the end of their six-year limit.
From June 16, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting Premium Processing Service requests for Forms I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) filed on behalf of the alien workers whose six-month stay allowed under H-1B visa will expire within 60 days.
Premium Processing Service offers 15 calendar-day processing for designated employment-based petitions and applications upon request and with a nonrefundable fee of $1,000 for this service. Usually, the process takes about three to four months.
"During the 15-day period, USCIS will issue either an approval or denial notice, a notice of intent to deny, a request for evidence, or open an investigation for fraud or misrepresentation," the USCIS said in a statement.
The service is limited for Form I-140 petitions that are filed on behalf of aliens under certain conditions, including that their sixth year will end within 60 days and who are only eligible for a further extension of H-1B nonimmigrant status under section 104(c) of AC21.
Section 104(c) of AC21 permits certain applicants to extend their stay in H-1B nonimmigrant status beyond the six-year bar in increments of up to three years, under certain conditions.
