In March 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)implemented revisions to work visa family member applications (including H-4 and L-2 dependents) to require biometrics fees and appointments for each family member regardless of age. Biometrics are generally completed about a month after filing and therefore are not completed within a 15-day premium processing timeline. As a result, USCIS announced that it will no longer provide premium processing service to dependent family applications submitted with primary worker petitions. We estimate that dependent family application and accompanying H-4 or L-2 employment authorization application processing will likely take six months. Applicants should assess potential gaps in work authorization during processing.
Please contact your Varnum immigration attorney to review your situation as needed.