Many Indian students may benefit from US's new work permit policy

Washington: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that the United States has announced the expansion of premium processing of work authorization for specific categories of international students, which is likely to benefit many Indian students who came to study in the US STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

"US 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," the statement read, ANI reported.

According to the official statement, premium processing will commence on March 6 for some categories and on April 3 for others.

F-1 students in these groups can now submit Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, online. The most recent print version of this form is still acceptable for mailing to USCIS.

"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," he added.

Students seeking premium processing shouldn't file before these dates because the expansion of premium processing for some F-1 students will happen in stages.

"USCIS immigration requests 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," the statement read.

"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 there will not be able to file Form I-907 online and will need file a paper Form I-907 with the Chicago lockbox," the statement read.

"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 statement added.

Form I-907 can now be filed online, bringing the total number of forms that can be filed online up to 16. All of these documents can be filed online using the links on the Forms Available to the File page. The most recent paper copies of every form are still accepted by mail from USCIS. In FY 2022, more than 1.8 million applications, petitions, and requests were submitted online, a rise of 53% from the 1.2 million submissions in FY 2021.