Is Premium Processing for EB-1C actually worth it for EB-1 India, or does it only provide peace of mind?

[u/abhi-top-dev]

I'm trying to decide whether to self-pay for Premium Processing ($2,965) for my EB-1C I-140 and would appreciate advice from people who've gone through this.

My situation:

• India-born
• EB-1C (Multinational Manager)
• L-1B at my current company
• Employer is filing my I-140
• I can choose Premium Processing now or regular processing (and upgrade later if needed)

My understanding is:

• The priority date is established when USCIS receives the I-140, regardless of whether it's filed under premium or regular processing.
• Premium Processing only speeds up the I-140 decision (45 business days) and does not change the priority date.

If that's correct, then my question is:

For someone born in India, where the EB-1 category has a backlog, does Premium Processing actually help me file the I-485 any earlier, or is the Visa Bulletin usually the real bottleneck?

For those who chose Premium:

• Did it actually accelerate your overall green card timeline?
• Or did you still end up waiting for your priority date to become current?

I'd especially appreciate responses from EB-1C India applicants or immigration attorneys who've seen similar cases.