With the new fee rule that goes into effect on April 1, 2024, you must use the new 04/01/24 editions of the following forms:

·       Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker;

·       Form I-129 CW, Petition for a CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker;

·       Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers;  

·       Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative; and

·       Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition, and the form's supplements.

USCIS has published preview versions of each of these forms on each form's webpage. Beginning April 1, 2024, applicants and petitioners must submit the 04/01/24 edition of these forms with the appropriate fee listed on the USCIS Fee Schedule G-1055. USCIS will reject prior versions of the above forms. Accordingly, USCIS will only accept the 04/01/2024 edition of these forms if they are postmarked on or after April 01, 2024.

Also, on April 1, 2024, USCIS service centers will no longer accept Form I-129 petitions requesting H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) classification. USCIS will reject H-1B or H-1B1 (HSC) petitions received at a USCIS service center on or after April 1, 2024. There will be no grace period provided.

In addition, beginning on April 1, 2024, all paper-filed Form I-129 petitions requesting H-1B1 (HSC) or H-1B classification, including those with a concurrent Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, and those with concurrently filed Form I-539 and/or Form I-765, must be filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. If you are filing Form I-129 alone or with Form I-907, you may also file online. In March, USCIS will launch online filing of Form I-129 and associated Form I-907 for non-cap H-1B petitions. On April 1, USCIS will begin accepting online filing for H-1B cap petitions and associated Forms I-907 for petitioners whose registrations have been selected. USCIS will provide the lockbox filing addresses for paper-filed forms in late March via web alert and on our Form I-129 Direct Filing Addresses page. 

Disclaimer

We regularly update our blog section to acquaint the community with the latest changes in Immigration policies. Please note the information in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be nor should it be construed as legal advice. We can promptly and efficiently represent clients located anywhere in the US or abroad on US Immigration Policies. If you seek further clarification, don't hesitate to contact SanSha Law Office at [email protected] or call us at 469-777-6161.