USCIS’ previous practice of adjudicating the I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, filed with a qualifying I-129 petition under Premium Processing has ended. USCIS now requires every I-539 applicant pay a biometrics fee and an Application Support Center appointment take place to capture the applicant’s biometrics. This has led to I-539 applications taking substantially longer to process. I-539 applications cannot be premium processed.
Applicants should contact an immigration attorney to discuss issues such as timing and travel restrictions.