USCIS to Re-Open Services on June 4, But Potential Employee Furlough

by Van R. Ngo

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) just announced that it is preparing to re-open for non-emergency public services on June 4, 2020, including for interviews, biometrics appointments, and naturalization ceremonies. However, this re-opening of services could be seriously affected by an upcoming government employee furlough.

USCIS Preparing to Resume Public Services on June 4, 2020:

Since March 18, 2020, all USCIS routine (non-emergency) in-person services have been suspended to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). This includes interviews, biometrics appointments, and naturalization ceremonies. USCIS just announced that it will re-open for non-emergency public services on or after June 4, 2020. Click on the following link to view the USCIS announcement: https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-preparing-resume-public-services-june-4.

Possible USCIS Government Employee Furlough:

Despite the above-mentioned USCIS re-opening announcement, the public should be aware of a possible USCIS employee furlough (a temporary layoff of employees) sometime this summer because of a lack of financial funding. Here is a link to a CNN article on the topic: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/26/politics/uscis-furlough-employees-congress-funding/index.html.

The consequences of such a furlough are not clear, but it could definitely impact pending and yet to-be-filed cases, causing, at the very least, some delays. Accordingly, it is recommended that petitioners and applicants file any potential case as soon as possible and should not postpone any scheduled interviews and appointments.