USCIS Expands Premium Processing to F-1 OPT and F-1 STEM OPT Applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing to include I-765 Applications for Employment Authorization Documents filed by F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions. Premium processing is an optional service that guarantees adjudication of qualifying filings within a specific time frame.

The premium processing expansion will occur in the following phases:

• On March 6, 2023, USCIS began accepting Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, filed either via paper form or online, for F-1 students with a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, filed under one of the following categories:

  • (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;

  • (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and

  • (c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for STEM students.

• Beginning April 3, 2023, USCIS will accept the concurrent filing of the Form I-907 for F-1 students filing I-765 applications in the above categories. The F-1 applicant can file these applications either via paper form or online.

The premium processing filing fee for these I-765 categories is $1,500, with a 30-day processing timeframe after the application prerequisites are met.

As previously announced, the USCIS is expected to expand the premium processing service to other types of applications and petitions in the upcoming months. Goeschl Law Corporation will continue to monitor the expansion of the premium processing service.