USA Nurse Jobs: Green Card and EB-3 I-140 Premium Processing Time

By Conexus MedStaff - Posted Nov 2, 2020

We are often asked by nurses if we will file Premium Processing for their Priority Date (PD). We often give a lawyer-like response and say, “it depends,” because it really does. U.S. immigration law is complex, and no two cases are the same. Sometimes paying extra for expediting a case is worth it, and other times it’s not.

What is premium processing? 

Premium processing is a service offered by USCIS that expedites the processing time for specialized employment-based green card petitions, such as the EB-3. With premium processing, USCIS guarantees that your I-140 form will be processed within 15 calendar days of receiving the petition.

We understand that the immigration process involved in starting your career as a nurse in the U.S. can be time-consuming. The waiting time between submitting your application and finding out if your application has been approved can be long and stressful. So, knowing the outcome of your application in 15 calendar days can certainly give you peace of mind. But for nurses making a new application, there are not many more benefits to premium processing.

Here are our thoughts on the subject:  

  • Paying the premium processing fee ($2,500) does not give you an advantage in the selection process. Ok, so you may be given an answer within 3 weeks; however, there is no telling what the outcome of your application will be. You could receive an Approval, but it is just as likely to receive an RFE (Request for Further Evidence), a NOID (Notice of Intent to Deny), or a Denial. If the answer is a Denial, USCIS does not refund the cost of Premium Processing.
  • Unfortunately, premium processing does not jump you to the head of the line; you still need to wait for your priority date to be current prior to receiving your EB3 Visa. Regardless of filing regular processing or premium processing, your priority date remains the same. The date your application is sent to USCIS becomes your priority date.
  • There are circumstances however when premium processing is worth it. For example, if you have been abandoned by a previous sponsor and already have a copy of a previous Approval Notice with a priority date, we will file premium processing. Of course, some of our nurses prefer the peace of mind that premium processing offers. For those nurses who are willing to pay the difference between regular processing and premium processing, our Immigration Team will gladly file for premium processing.

Our advice for nurses is to be patient, think positively, and rest assured that the Conexus MedStaff team will be there to support you, always. Learn more about how Conexus MedStaff supports our nurses on their immigration journey to the U.S. here, follow us on our social feeds, or start your application today.