The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced, on March 17, that the agency will temporarily close its offices to the public as of March 18 until April 1 in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Here is what you need to know about this USCIS coronavirus update and your situation if your USCIS immigration interview was postponed due to the coronavirus. For updates regarding coronavirus immigration office closures or coronavirus USCIS policy changes, please visit the official USCIS coronavirus office closings website here.
What will happen to my scheduled USCIS interview because of coronavirus?
USCIS will automatically reschedule coronavirus affected USCIS interviews. If you are an applicant or a petitioner scheduled to appear for a USCIS interview, you should receive a notice from the USCIS Field Office where your immigration interview was scheduled to be held. The notice should explain that due to the coronavirus USCIS interviews are postponed. Any applicant or petitioner with a scheduled interview affected by the coronavirus immigration office closure should also receive a letter in the mail with his/her new interview date with the immigration office.
How will coronavirus affect my USCIS fingerprint/biometrics appointment?
USCIS will automatically reschedule coronavirus affected USCIS fingerprint or biometrics appointments. If you were scheduled to appear for a USCIS fingerprint appointment or USCIS biometrics appointment, you should receive a USCIS coronavirus related notice postponing your appointment. Then, when everything goes back to normal, USCIS stated that the immigration offices will automatically reschedule appointments affected by coronavirus with the Application Support Center. Any applicant or petitioner with a scheduled appointment affected by the coronavirus immigration office closure will receive a letter in the mail with his/her new appointment date with the immigration office.
Will coronavirus affect my USCIS InfoPass appointment?
USCIS has postponed all InfoPass appointments through April 1 because of the coronavirus. USCIS will NOT automatically rescheduled coronavirus affected InfoPass appointments. If you had a USCIS InfoPass appointment that was cancelled due to the coronavirus, you must reschedule your InfoPass appointment through the USCIS Contact Center, once your USCIS field office reopens to the public. Please visit the USCIS Field Offices page to check if your field office has reopened after the coronavirus crisis before contacting the USCIS Contact Center.
Will coronavirus affect my naturalization ceremony?
USCIS will automatically reschedule coronavirus affected naturalization ceremonies. If you were scheduled for a naturalization ceremony at a USCIS Field Office, you should receive a USCIS coronavirus notice postponing your naturalization ceremony. USCIS stated that the immigration offices will automatically reschedule naturalization ceremonies cancelled due to the coronavirus threat. If coronavirus impacted your naturalization ceremony, you should receive a letter in the mail with your new naturalization ceremony date with the immigration office.
How will the US immigration coronavirus situation affect asylum seekers?
USCIS will reschedule all coronavirus impacted asylum interviews. If you are an asylum seeker with a scheduled USCIS interview appointment and you are affected by the USICS coronavirus office closure, USCIS asylum offices will send you an interview cancellation notice and will automatically reschedule asylum interview. When your asylum interview is rescheduled due to the coronavirus, you will receive a new USCIS interview notice with the new time, date and location for the interview.
What if I have an emergency situation amid USCIS coronavirus closure?
If you have an emergency situations during the coronavirus immigration office closure, USCIS will perform emergency interviews on a case by case basis even during the coronavirus shutdown. If you had an emergency situation and must have your USCIS interview during the USCIS coronavirus closures, you should contact the USCIS Contact Center.
Has coronavirus closed USCIS Charleston?
Due the coronavirus, the USCIS Charleston Field Office is temporarily closed until April 1. In fact, all South Carolina USCIS Field Offices have issued coronavirus closure advisories until April 1. If you had a USCIS interview scheduled before April 1, USCIS should be sending you a coronavirus rescheduling letter with your new immigration office interview date. For more information about the impact of coronavirus on the USCIS Charleston Field Office, please visit the USCIS Charleston Field Office website.
Is USCIS New York closed because of the coronavirus?
The USCIS New York Field Office has temporarily closed until April 1 because of the coronavirus. If coronavirus affected your USCIS New York interview, you should be receiving a USCIS coronavirus rescheduling letter with a new date and time for your USCIS interview. For more information about the impact of coronavirus on the USCIS New York Field Office, please visit the USCIS New York Field Office website.
Is my USCIS Field Office closed because of the coronavirus?
All USCIS Field Offices nationwide are because of the coronavirus until April 1. To find information about the policies of your local USCIS Field Office during the coronavirus crisis, please visit the USCIS Field Offices website.
Where can I find USCIS coronavirus updates?
You can find USCIS coronavirus closure related updates on the USCIS Office Closings website. Please, keep in mind that in situations such as these information changes quickly, so be sure to continue to check USCIS’s official website for any updates.
Will coronavirus cause USCIS to stop working on my immigration case?
USCIS announced that even with the ongoing coronavirus crisis, USCIS staff will continue to perform duties not involving contact with the public. This means that USCIS should continue processing your immigration case even during the coronavirus crisis. As the coronavirus situation changes day by day, please be sure to check USCIS’s official website for any coronavirus USCIS updates.
Disclaimer: This blog article is provided by Pandev Law, LLC for general educational and informational purposes only. Although this article discusses general legal issues, it does not constitute legal advice nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship. No reader should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information presented in this article, or elsewhere on this website, without seeking the advice of appropriate legal counsel, or other professional counsel, licensed in the relevant jurisdiction. Pandev Law, LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability with respect to any actions taken, or not taken, based on any content of this article or website. This blog article may constitute attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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