USCIS will begin premium processing of cap-subject H-1B petitions that requested premium processing on April 27, 2015. This will include petitions requesting an exemption for applicants with a U.S. master’s degree or higher. USCIS provides this service for certain types of employment-based petitions, including the H-1B visa; processing takes 15 calendar days.
In cases of H-1B petitions not subject to the annual cap, the 15-day premium processing period begins on the date that USCIS receives the request. For cap-subject H-1B petitions, including advanced degree exemption petitions, the 15-day processing period will begin on April 27, 2015, regardless of the date the petition was received by USCIS.
