June 22, 2023

Premium Processing Now Available if You Are Changing to F, M, or J Status

Dear Stakeholder,

Premium processing is now available if you have filed or are filing Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status to change your status to one of these student or exchange visitor statuses:

• F-1 (academic students)
• F-2 (spouses and children of F-1)
• M-1 (vocational students)
• M-2 (spouses and children of M-1)
• J-1 (exchange visitors)
• J-2 (spouses and children of J-1)

If you fall into an eligible category above and:

• Your Form I-539 is already pending with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): As of June 13, you may request premium processing.
• You have not submitted your Form I-539 yet: Starting on Monday, June 26, you can submit a premium processing request together with your Form I-539.

How To Request Premium Processing

If you want to request premium processing for these categories:

1. First complete your biometrics appointment. Even if USCIS accepts your premium processing request, it will not start the premium processing clock until you and all co-applicants on the Form I-539 have submitted biometrics.
2. Then submit Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service online through your USCIS online account or by paper.
   • You must submit Form I-907 the same way you submit Form I-539—either by submitting both online or by mailing both paper forms to USCIS.
   • Do not file your Form I-907 and/or Form I-539 with another benefit request. USCIS may reject your form if you do so (including if you file multiple Forms I-907 together).
3. Remember to pay the Form I-907 filing fee separately from the Form I-539 filing fees. If you submit a single, combined fee payment for multiple forms, USCIS will reject your entire filing. The premium processing fee for these categories is $1,750. The Form I-539 filing fee is $370 and the biometrics fee is $85 for each applicant.

Why This Matters

Expanding premium processing may help address how stakeholders, specifically foreign students, have experienced delays related to lengthy processing times. Earlier this year, the agency expanded premium processing to certain F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions.

More Information

View USCIS’ alert for additional information. For more information on creating an online account, see USCIS’ How to Create a USCIS Online Account page.

The CIS Ombudsman is dedicated to assisting individuals and employers seeking to resolve problems with USCIS. We held an Interagency Engagement on International Student Issues webinar last summer and posted follow-up questions and answers on topics such as OPT, reinstatement, and the Form I-765. For more information on our office, please visit dhs.gov/cisombudsman or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Please complete the CIS Ombudsman Customer Satisfaction Survey. We appreciate your feedback.

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