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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that starting Monday, June 26, 2017, it will resume premium processing for H-1B petitions filed on behalf of medical doctors who have received a waiver of the J-1 two-year home residency requirement under the Conrad 30 Waiver program or through an interested government agency. Premium processing remains temporarily suspended for all other H-1B petitions.
The premium processing suspension was put in place on April 3, 2017 to enable USCIS to clear its backlog of long-pending H-1B petitions. Though the agency suggested that the suspension could last for up to six months, USCIS officials have suggested that the agency plans to gradually phase in H-1B premium processing by case types, such as extensions, cap-exempt organization filings and cap filings. Agency officials could not provide a timeline, though the overall suspension is not expected to exceed the six months originally projected.
Today’s announcement comes as welcome news to medical facilities that rely heavily on beneficiaries of Conrad 30 waivers. The Conrad 30 program allows physicians who are subject to the J-1 home residency requirement to remain in the United States on H-1B visas after completing their medical training, provided that they agree to work in rural and urban areas that have a shortage of physicians. By lifting the suspension now, these physicians can begin their medical service shortly after completing their residency and fellowship programs, which typically end on June 30.
What This Means for Foreign Workers and Their Employers
Employers petitioning on behalf of beneficiaries of Conrad 30 or interested government agency waivers and who were unable to submit a premium processing request or whose earlier request was rejected for the underlying H-1B extension petition can now upgrade to premium processing by submitting Form I-907 and its required fee.
All other H-1B case types remain under the premium processing suspension. Though USCIS suggested that premium processing may become available for other case types, the timing remains uncertain. Agency officials have indicated additional resources are needed in order to fully resume H-1B processing; the agency is in the process of training adjudicators to handle the additional workload. Fragomen is carefully monitoring the premium processing suspension and will provide updates as they become available.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
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- Fragomen in Matawan, NJ
- Fragomen in Irvine, CA
- Fragomen in Houston, TX
- Fragomen in Chicago, IL
- Fragomen in Los Angeles, CA
- Fragomen in Washington, DC
- Fragomen in Atlanta, GA
- Fragomen in Boston, MA
- Fragomen in Detroit, MI
- Fragomen in Miami, FL
- Fragomen in Dallas, TX
Related offices
- Fragomen in Silicon Valley, CA
- Fragomen in San Francisco, CA
- Fragomen in San Diego, CA
- Fragomen in Phoenix, AZ
- Fragomen in New York, NY
- Fragomen in Matawan, NJ
- Fragomen in Irvine, CA
- Fragomen in Houston, TX
- Fragomen in Chicago, IL
- Fragomen in Los Angeles, CA
- Fragomen in Washington, DC
- Fragomen in Atlanta, GA
- Fragomen in Boston, MA
- Fragomen in Detroit, MI
- Fragomen in Miami, FL
- Fragomen in Dallas, TX
Related offices
- Fragomen in Silicon Valley, CA
- Fragomen in San Francisco, CA
- Fragomen in San Diego, CA
- Fragomen in Phoenix, AZ
- Fragomen in New York, NY
- Fragomen in Matawan, NJ
- Fragomen in Irvine, CA
- Fragomen in Houston, TX
- Fragomen in Chicago, IL
- Fragomen in Los Angeles, CA
- Fragomen in Washington, DC
- Fragomen in Atlanta, GA
- Fragomen in Boston, MA
- Fragomen in Detroit, MI
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Explore more at Fragomen
Awards
Fragomen is recognized with multiple honors at the 2026 FEM Americas EMMAs, including Outstanding Agility & Crisis Management as a Service Provider and Thought Leadership – Best Survey or Research Study of the Year for the Worldwide Immigration Trends Report 2026.
Blog post
Destination Services Director Christine Sperr examines how housing market reforms, rent stabilization measures and cost-of-living dynamics in Saudi Arabia are influencing workforce mobility, compensation planning and long-term settlement strategies under Vision 2030.
Visas
Manager Dr. Adela Schmidt explains how German authorities assess past travel and business activities and why suspected unauthorized work during prior visits can lead to visa refusals and temporary entry bans.
Podcast
Partner Cosmina Morariu and Senior Director Leah Rogal discuss the mission of Fragomen’s Center for Strategy and Applied Insights and how it helps organizations and governments navigate evolving immigration policy and global talent mobility challenges.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Papaya Global announce a strategic partnership combining workforce technology and immigration capabilities to help organizations simplify global mobility, enhance compliance and manage cross-border workforces through a more integrated, technology-enabled approach.
Video
Latin America & the Caribbean Managing Partner Leonor Echeverria explores how Latin America’s evolving immigration landscape offers accessible and flexible residence pathways for foreign nationals, highlighting key visa options, regional trends and the growing role of digital modernization across the region.
Podcast
Senior Associate Stephanie Weaver and Associate Julia Manacher continue their discussion on immigration law in popular culture, examining how television and media portray immigration processes and the realities behind common immigration storylines.
Media mentions
Partner Kevin Miner discusses how proposed H-1B salary threshold increases may raise employer costs and influence hiring strategies for specialized talent across industries.
Video
In this Mobility Minute, Manager Pierangelo D’Errico discusses Portugal’s newly approved nationality law changes and the potential impact on Golden Visa applicants and other foreign residents.
Media mentions
Partner Rajiv Naik highlights the importance of transparency, clear guidance and human oversight as AI use expands in UK immigration tribunals.
Video
Senior Associate Tuğba Özyakup outlines how Europe’s Entry and Exit System (EES) introduces digital tracking of non-EU short-stay travel across the Schengen Area, requiring more proactive planning, accurate record-keeping and awareness of increased border processing times to avoid delays and overstay risks.
Awards
Fragomen is recognized with multiple honors at the 2026 FEM Americas EMMAs, including Outstanding Agility & Crisis Management as a Service Provider and Thought Leadership – Best Survey or Research Study of the Year for the Worldwide Immigration Trends Report 2026.
Blog post
Destination Services Director Christine Sperr examines how housing market reforms, rent stabilization measures and cost-of-living dynamics in Saudi Arabia are influencing workforce mobility, compensation planning and long-term settlement strategies under Vision 2030.
Visas
Manager Dr. Adela Schmidt explains how German authorities assess past travel and business activities and why suspected unauthorized work during prior visits can lead to visa refusals and temporary entry bans.
Podcast
Partner Cosmina Morariu and Senior Director Leah Rogal discuss the mission of Fragomen’s Center for Strategy and Applied Insights and how it helps organizations and governments navigate evolving immigration policy and global talent mobility challenges.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Papaya Global announce a strategic partnership combining workforce technology and immigration capabilities to help organizations simplify global mobility, enhance compliance and manage cross-border workforces through a more integrated, technology-enabled approach.
Video
Latin America & the Caribbean Managing Partner Leonor Echeverria explores how Latin America’s evolving immigration landscape offers accessible and flexible residence pathways for foreign nationals, highlighting key visa options, regional trends and the growing role of digital modernization across the region.
Podcast
Senior Associate Stephanie Weaver and Associate Julia Manacher continue their discussion on immigration law in popular culture, examining how television and media portray immigration processes and the realities behind common immigration storylines.
Media mentions
Partner Kevin Miner discusses how proposed H-1B salary threshold increases may raise employer costs and influence hiring strategies for specialized talent across industries.
Video
In this Mobility Minute, Manager Pierangelo D’Errico discusses Portugal’s newly approved nationality law changes and the potential impact on Golden Visa applicants and other foreign residents.
Media mentions
Partner Rajiv Naik highlights the importance of transparency, clear guidance and human oversight as AI use expands in UK immigration tribunals.
Video
Senior Associate Tuğba Özyakup outlines how Europe’s Entry and Exit System (EES) introduces digital tracking of non-EU short-stay travel across the Schengen Area, requiring more proactive planning, accurate record-keeping and awareness of increased border processing times to avoid delays and overstay risks.

