The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a final rule that USCIS fees for Premium Processing will increase effective March 1, 2026. Premium Processing requests filed on or after March 1 must include the new fee.
While the Premium Processing fee is substantial, the benefit of expedited processing is significant, given the increasing processing times of certain petitions and applications pending with USCIS (see https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ for the normal processing time for a particular petition or application). The protracted processing time may impact a foreign national’s ability to work lawfully, renew a driver’s license, or undertake international travel. With the payment of the optional Premium Processing fee, USCIS will review eligible application and petition filings on an expedited basis, with time periods dependent on the category of the immigration benefit requested. The following is a summary of the key changes:
- The fee for Premium Processing for Forms I-129 and I-140 will increase from $2,805 to $2,965 for most classifications, including E, H-1B, H-3, L, O, P and TN nonimmigrant petitions and EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 immigrant petitions. Upon receipt of a Premium Processing request, USCIS will adjudicate I-129 petitions and I-140 petitions based on a certified PERM application in 15 business days, with some limited exceptions. The adjudication timeframe is 45 days for I-140 petitions filed for multinational executives and managers or if requesting a National Interest Waiver (NIW) of the labor certification (PERM) requirement.
- For Forms I-765 filed by F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) and STEM OPT extensions, the Premium Processing fee will increase from $1,685 to $1,780. USCIS will generally adjudicate these applications within 30 business days.
- The Premium Processing fee for I-539 applications filed for eligible classifications (e.g., F, J and M) will also be increasing from $1,965 to $2,075.