USCIS Employee Furlough Delayed Until August 31

By: Gladys Gervacio

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Acting Director Joseph Edlow has confirmed that the agency will postpone furloughs of more than 13,000 of its workers through August 31, 2020. Previously, the furlough was set for August 3. USCIS is hoping that this delay will give Congress enough time to approve the additional funding needed to help the agency avoid furloughing their staff.

In May, USCIS announced that they were facing a shortage in funding due to reductions in immigration application fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency asked Congress for $1.2 billion to pay officers’ salaries. USCIS announced in June that it would potentially have to furlough up to 75% of its employees to cover the budget shortfall.

A potential employee furlough at USCIS would likely slow down application processing time and cause other delays at the agency.

Conclusion

The Chugh, LLP team will closely watch the USCIS furlough situation as it unfolds and provide rapid updates. For more information on adapting to a changing US immigration landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact your trusted Chugh, LLP attorney.