USCIS to Furlough up to Two-Thirds of Its Staff by the End of August

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a variety of jobs. One of which includes offering citizenship, green cards, and visas to immigrants around the world. However, the federal agency recently announced it will be furloughing roughly 13,400 of its 20,000 employees. Citing budget shortfalls, the furloughs will take place by August 30, cutting two-thirds of their staff.

As a result of this, it can be expected that this will have a large impact on immigration to the United States as a whole. There are many people who believe that these furloughs are a move by the Trump Administration in order to continue halting immigration to the United States. Recently, Forbes conducted an interview with Doug Rand, who worked on immigration policy in the Obama Administration. In the interview, Rand discussed how the furloughs would affect immigration.

Rand states that millions of immigrants may be impacted by this decision at USCIS. This is in part due to the 3 million individuals who will apply for green cards and temporary work visas, as well as the 760,000 permanent residents who renew their green cards every year. If they cannot do so due to furloughs, they could lose their status as a result. This is the same for over 400,000 DACA recipients who wish to renew their status and can be at risk of deportation if they do not. In addition to this, over 156,000 married couples require a final interview to receive their permanent resident status or they can lose their chance to become citizens.

No one can know for sure the outcome these furloughs will have on the services at USCIS, and therefore the function of immigration to the United States. Only time can tell. If you are currently going through the process of immigration or about to start, it can be beneficial to retain the services of our experienced New York City immigration attorney to guide you through the process. Contact our firm today for any question that you may have.

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Katona & Associates, PLLC is an experienced, highly dedicated New York City immigration law firm located in lower Manhattan. Our firm works with clients in all matters of immigration law, including employment immigration, family immigration, deportation defense, green cards, and citizenship. Contact us to discuss your case and get the help you need.