The economic crisis affects the USCIS

The health crisis caused by the global Coronavirus pandemic also brought an economic, social and political crisis in several countries.

In the case of the US, the country most affected by the massive outbreak, the current unemployment rate exceeds the Great Recession (2007-2009), and the number of people infected with COVID-19 grew exponentially in a matter of weeks.

Therefore, multiple major sectors of society were tremendously affected by the health crisis, such as the immigration sector.

For instance, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is the federal agency in charge of responding to immigration applications, is experiencing a devastating downturn in revenue.

The majority of the USCIS revenue comes from fees that applicants must pay when submitting an immigration request. Due to the suspension of most immigration processes during the massive Coronavirus outbreak, the USCIS had no fixed income for a considerable period of time.

In fact, the USCIS downturn in revenue is so great that it plans to furlough 70% of its employees as of August 30, 2020, if it does not receive monetary aid from Congress. This figure represents a total of 13,400 employees.

The USCIS has been asking for help since May

The USCIS announced in late May that it was experiencing a downturn in revenue and urgently needed Congress to donate $1.2 million in order to protect employees’ wages and avoid potential furloughs.

It means that Congress has had almost three months to find a viable solution to bailout the agency in charge of immigration processes.

In addition to that, the USCIS released an official statement declaring that most application fees will increase as of October 2, 2020. With this, the federal agency, belonging to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), plans to recover and restore its economic balance.

Do you need to submit an immigration request? Contact Motion Law and submit your application as soon as possible, before the rate increase.

The Congress response

In early July, the government discussed some possibilities for Congress to help the USCIS. However, there was no concrete response.

On the one hand, multiple members of Congress assured that the Trump administration was not sending the necessary approval to be able to disburse the monetary aid for the immigration agency.

On the other hand, the Trump administration assured that it had already completed all the necessary requirements to approve the monetary aid by Congress.

Nowadays, the government has yet to reach an agreement regarding the donation that the USCIS needs to avoid furloughing such a large portion of employees.

If Congress does not find a solution soon, thousands of workers will suffer the consequences of the global economic crisis and applicants will have to wait even longer than usual for a response to their immigration cases.

Apart from the fact that immigration services are already delayed, even before the arrival of the pandemic, now, the waiting times will be lengthened.

Protect your immigration case

In these times of crisis, it is paramount to properly seize the opportunity you have to present a solid immigration case and avoid potential rejection by the USCIS.

We recommend this because receiving a negative answer would imply more economic investment and long waiting times for you and your family.

That is why the best solution is to find a reliable guide, who can help you choose the process that best suits your current immigration needs.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.