USCIS Announces Expansion of Premium Processing for Certain F-1 Students Seeking OPT or STEM OPT Extensions

USCIS has recently announced the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students who are seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT extensions. F-1 students who have a pending Form I-765 (EAD) can now request a premium processing upgrade by filing the Form I-907 either online or through mail.

The premium processing expansion will occur in phases, and F-1 students should not file before the specified dates set below:

March 6th, upgrade of PENDING FILINGS: From March 6, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper or online, for certain F-1 students who have a pending Form I-765 and are filing under the categories of Pre-Completion OPT, Post-Completion OPT, and 24-Month Extension of OPT for STEM students. These filings include only the following categories of Employment Authorization Document (I-765) applications:

(c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;
(c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and
(c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for STEM students.

April 3rd onward: NEW FILINGS: From April 3, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests for F-1 students in the above categories when filed together with Form I-765.

To file Form I-907 online, an applicant must create a USCIS online account, which is free of cost, to submit forms, pay fees, and track the status of any pending USCIS immigration requests.

Applicants who previously filed a paper Form I-765 and wish to file Form I-907 online should reference the USCIS Account Access Notice they received for the Online Access Code and details on how to link their paper-filed cases to their online account.

The expansion of premium processing is part of USCIS’ efforts to take form filing online. This expansion brings the total number of forms available for online filing to 16. USCIS continues to accept paper versions of all forms by mail.

Original USCIS notice:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions who have a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and wish to request a premium processing upgrade.

Online filing of Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, is now also available to F-1 students in these categories. USCIS continues to accept the latest paper version of this form by mail.

“The availability of premium processing for certain F-1 students, in addition to the ease of online filing, will streamline the immigration experience for a great many international students,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “The ongoing expansion of online filing is a priority for USCIS as we continue to create operational efficiencies and increase access to the immigration system for stakeholders, applicants, petitioners, requestors, and those we serve.”

Premium processing expansion for certain F-1 students will occur in phases, and students requesting premium processing should not file before these dates:

Beginning March 6, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for certain F-1 students who already have a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, if they are filing 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, USCIS will accept Form I-907 requests, filed either via paper form or online, for F-1 students in the above categories when filed together with Form I-765.
USCIS will reject premium processing requests for a pending Form I-765 if received before March 6, and will reject any premium processing request for an initial or concurrently filed Form I-765 that is received before April 3.

To file Form I-907 online, an applicant must first create a USCIS online account, which provides a convenient and secure method to submit forms, pay fees, and track the status of any pending

USCIS immigration request throughout the adjudication process. There is no cost to set up a USCIS online account, which offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS through a secure inbox and respond to Requests for Evidence online.

Applicants who previously filed a paper Form I-765 and wish to file Form I-907 online to request premium processing should reference the USCIS Account Access Notice they received for the Online Access Code and details on how to link their paper-filed cases to their online account, or they will not be able to file Form I-907 online and will need file a paper Form I-907 with the Chicago lockbox.

As previously announced, the expansion of premium processing is part of USCIS’ efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, and is being implemented in a phased approach.

The addition of online filing for Form I-907 brings the total number of forms available for online filing to 16. The Forms Available to File Online page has links to file all of these forms. USCIS continues to accept the latest paper versions of all forms by mail. More than 1.8 million applications, petitions and requests were filed online in FY 2022, a 53% increase from the 1.2 million filed in FY 2021.

Source: USCIS, March 6th, 2023