The US’ economic crisis

Due to the massive outbreak of Coronavirus in the US, the country’s economy is going through an even bigger crisis than the Great Recession, which took place between 2007 and 2009.

Nowadays, the unemployment rate is unprecedented and local markets are feeling the shortages caused by the health crisis.

The economic recession is affecting several sectors of society, including the sector in charge of immigration processes.

To stay up to date with the latest immigration news in the US, please click here.

The USCIS and the current juncture

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is the entity in charge of approving or rejecting the applications for entry and legal residence in the country.

In light of the public health threat generated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, senior USCIS officials decided to close the offices on March 18, 2020.

Due to the fact that the situation was not improving in the US and because the number of people infected with Coronavirus was increasing exponentially, USCIS reopened its offices until June 4, 2020.

This means that USCIS did not offer face-to-face services for more than two months.

The services that were inactive during that period of time are:

• Asylum and refuge applications.
• Green Card requests.
• Face-to-face hearings.
• In-person appointments in courts around the country.
• Biometric data updates.

Owing to the temporary closure of the offices, the USCIS is experiencing a downturn in revenue and this could affect some of its employees as well as applicants.

If you need help submitting an immigration application, feel free to contact our experienced attorneys.

Why is USCIS affected by the current crisis?

It is important to understand that the majority of USCIS income comes from the fees that applicants must pay when submitting an immigration request.

Therefore, due to the suspension of Green Card applications (which is one of the main income), USCIS does not have enough resources to pay salaries to employees and continue the normal rhythm of immigration processes.

In addition to that, the Trump government banned foreigners from entering the country for more than two months, meaning that USCIS did not receive enough applications or income during the massive outbreak of Coronavirus.

What does the USCIS need to overcome the downturn in revenue?

The USCIS asked the Congress for $ 1.2 billion as an aid to alleviate the current shortage and to protect its employees’ wages.

In fact, one of the USCIS leaders stated last Friday (June 19, 2020) that the immigration agency “will exhaust its funding this summer, and without the need of congressional intervention, we risk not staying equipped to make payroll and will have to get drastic steps to hold the company afloat”.

The USCIS is planning to furlough a portion of its employees, at least temporarily, while receiving enough income to overcome the downturn in revenue.

Other than that, USCIS plans to increase application fees to ease the current situation.

Therefore, this is the right time for you to file your immigration application with the help of specialized attorneys, please click here.

Complete your immigration application

It is important to take advantage of this time before USCIS increases fees and reduces the number of visas issued due to a shortage of local resources.

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.