Today, March 25, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that is extending its temporary suspension of in-person services at USCIS offices (including USCIS field offices, asylum offices, and Application Support Centers) in the United States up to and including Monday, April 6, 2020. USCIS stated that its offices will reopen to the public on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 “unless the public closures are extended further.”
This extends USCIS’s previously-announced temporary suspension of in-person services that USCIS stated would continue from March 18, 2020, at least to April 1, 2020. USCIS has stated that its decision to suspend in-person services is based on its effort to “protect employees and communities” during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
USCIS’s suspension of routine in-person services means that the following interviews or appointments normally conducted at USCIS field offices or Application Support Centers will be canceled and rescheduled:
- Immigration Interviews (I-130, I-485 (Adjustment of Status), N-400 (Naturalization), and Asylum Interviews);
- Naturalization Ceremonies; and
- Biometric Collection Appointments
USCIS has stated that it will continue operations and services that “do not require in-person contact with the public,” meaning that USCIS should continue process physically and electronically filed applications and petitions for immigration benefits during the temporary suspension period. USCIS has stated that it will continue to provide emergency services during this time and that emergency services can be requested via the USCIS Contact Center.
For immigration interviews, USCIS stated that it will send de-scheduling notices to the affected individuals and that interviews will be rescheduled when USCIS resumes normal operations.
USCIS also stated that it will automatically reschedule biometrics appointments at Application Support Centers due to the office closure, and that affected individuals will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. However, individuals with InfoPass or other appointments at a USCIS field office must proactively reschedule their appointments through the USCIS Contact Center once USCIS offices reopen to the public.
The circumstances surrounding the Coronavirus and its impact on immigration in the United States continue to develop on a daily basis. Please stay tuned for further updates.
