USCIS recommends applicants

Due to COVID-19, the responses from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are delayed and the waiting time is longer than normal.

USCIS had to suspend all its face-to-face services while the health threat diminishes in the country.

This decision was made to protect all applicants and federal employees from mass contagion.

This measure is clearly temporary but has greatly affected all processes related to visas, residence permits and immigration requests.

Therefore, thousands of people waiting for a response to their residence or visa requests must be patient.

USCIS made an official statement advising people who need a residence permit extension or change of status.

The main recommendations from USCIS

• USCIS recommends to make petitions with reasonable time to avoid accumulating “Unlawful Presence” in the country.
• For non-immigrant petitions, USCIS recommends that you properly organize the documentation and necessary evidence to avoid wasting precious time amid the pandemic.

USCIS offers help

In light of the repercussions of COVID-19, USCIS announced multiple methods that will be implemented to help people who need it.

This help is offered mainly for people with non-immigrant permits.

1. If your permit is soon to expire, you can request an extension of stay (EOS) or a change of status (COS) to remain legally in the US and not accumulate “Unlawful presence”. However, the main recommendation to use this help is to send the application in good time.
2. USCIS will not take any negative action if your application has not been answered yet and your permission expires. This is only if you make the request on time.
3. As long as there is evidence that the request was made late due to a COVID-19 related problem, USCIS will have more flexibility in accepting late applications.
4. If you need to leave the country because your request was denied, USCIS may extend the departure time by 30 days due to the global health emergency.
5. If you are part of the Visa Extension Program and cannot extend your residence permit, USCIS extended the departure period by 30 days as well.

If you need more information regarding current USCIS policies, please feel free to contact Motion Law for expert guidance on your process.

Help in times of crisis

If you have a pending immigration process with USCIS, the best thing to do is to get the right advice to avoid exceeding the deadlines or obtaining a rejection by the US government.

The visa and residence permit processes have changed a lot lately due to the Coronavirus, therefore, the best solution is to have constant accompaniment of experts who are up to date on current policies.

It is the right time to protect our immigration processes and avoid difficult situations for us and our families at all costs.

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.