Rush Fee Implementation 10/1

September 12, 2019
By ISSS

 

Effective October 1, 2019, the Office of the Provost has approved assessing a “rush fee” for all H-1B cases that are initiated with ISSS with an employment start date that is two months (60 days) or less from the date of case submission. Penn will also assess a rush fee for J-1 cases with a J-1 program start date that is less than 6 weeks from the date of case submission. The fees are as follows:

 

Type of Case

Current ISSS Fee

New ISSS Fee

H-1B

$1,520

$1,520 for normal ISSS processing

 

$2,270 (**additional $750 rush fee for cases submitted to ISSS 2  months or less from proposed start date)

J-1 Research Scholar or Short-term Scholar

$175

$175 for normal ISSS processing

 

$675 (***additional $500 for cases submitted to ISSS less than 6 weeks from proposed program start date)

 

The rush fee is not a mechanism by which a department can speed up case processing, rather, it is a fee that will be assessed if a case start date falls within the above-defined range. The implementation of the rush fee will not affect case processing for cases that are submitted within ISSS requested timeframes for H-1B or J-1 cases. Despite the implementation of this fee, ISSS continues to reserve the right to exercise its discretion to work with the department to push back potential start dates if the office determines that it is unable to adequately prepare the case in the timeframe requested.

This rush fee will ensure that ISSS is able to prioritize cases that are urgent while still maintaining our high level of service to the University. Departments should consider the above when planning on sponsoring foreign nationals at the University of Pennsylvania.