The US on Wednesday announced the suspension of premium processing of all H-1B visa petitions for fiscal year 2019.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the temporary suspension would help reduce the “overall H-1B visa processing time”. The H-1B petition filing is for the fiscal year 2019 beginning October 1, 2018. “We will notify the public before resuming premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions or making any other premium processing updates,” the federal agency said.
It also announced petitions for H1-B visas will be accepted from April 2.
The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals working in areas with shortages of qualified American workers.
Indians get most H1-B visas although there are no national quotas for the facility nor is it specifically designed for Indians.
The suspension of premium processing of all H-1B petitions, subject to the annual cap, is expected to last until September 10, 2018.