Premium Processing Delays: What O and P Visa Applicants Need to Know (July 2026)
One of the most common questions we receive from clients is whether they should upgrade their O-1 or P visa petition to Premium Processing.
For many cases, our answer is still yes—especially because regular processing times have become extraordinarily long. However, we also want clients to understand an important development we've recently been seeing.
What Is Premium Processing?
Premium Processing is an optional USCIS service that allows petitioners to pay an additional government filing fee—currently $2,965—for expedited processing of certain employment-based petitions, including O and P visas.
USCIS guarantees that it will take one of several actions on the petition within 15 business days of accepting the case for Premium Processing. That action may be:
An approval;
A denial;
A Request for Evidence (RFE); or
A Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID).
It is important to understand that Premium Processing guarantees a response, not necessarily an approval.
Regular Processing Times Continue to Grow
Unfortunately, regular processing times remain extremely slow. As of July 2026, many O and P visa petitions are taking 14 to 15 months to receive a decision under regular processing. In our own practice, we are still waiting on cases that were filed over 15 months ago.
Because of these delays, Premium Processing has become almost essential for clients who have upcoming competitions, performances, tours, productions, or other time-sensitive work in the United States.
A New Trend We're Watching
Over the past month, we are seeing something that we had not previously encountered in our 16 years of doing this work.
We have had two Premium Processing cases assigned to the Vermont Service Center exceed the 15-business-day Premium Processing period without USCIS issuing a timely response. Both happened recently and close together.
We are also seeing reports from other immigration attorneys that similar Premium Processing delays are occurring in a variety of employment-based visa categories, particularly at the Vermont Service Center.
At this point, it is too early to know whether this represents a temporary backlog or the beginning of a longer-term trend.
What This Means for Clients
The vast majority of my Premium Processing cases are still being processed within the required timeframe.
However, we no longer advise clients to assume that paying for Premium Processing guarantees they will have a decision exactly 15 business days later.
If your travel plans, competitions, or employment begin immediately after that 15-business-day window, you should have a contingency plan whenever possible.
Building in an additional cushion of time can reduce unnecessary stress if your case experiences an unexpected delay.
Is Anything Being Done?
Yes. AILA (the American Immigration Lawyers Association), congressional offices, and immigration attorneys around the country are actively raising concerns about these delays and working with USCIS to better understand what is happening.
We are hopeful that this proves to be a temporary issue rather than a permanent change in Premium Processing.
Our Recommendation
Premium Processing remains an excellent option for most O and P visa applicants. Given current regular processing times, it is still the fastest and most reliable way to obtain a decision.
That said, we encourage clients to:
File as early as possible.
Use Premium Processing when timing is important.
Avoid scheduling international travel or U.S. work that depends on receiving a decision exactly 15 business days after filing.
Stay in close communication with our office if you have upcoming travel or competition deadlines.
At Action Sports Law Group, we continuously monitor USCIS processing trends and will keep our clients informed as new developments arise.
