On August 25, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they would be suspending furloughs of 13,400 employees until at least November 2020. It was discovered that USCIS had $800 million in additional revenue that would allow them to continue operations and prevent the U.S. immigration system from grinding to a halt. Stakeholders in the industry hope that Congress will be able to pass a relief package that will provide long term relief for USCIS to continue operating uninterrupted. 

Note that USCIS plans to still move forward with filing fee increases in October 2020, which may also help offset any future furloughs or layoffs (unlike most agencies, USCIS is almost entirely funded from filing fees). For more information, see: https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-08-25/uscis-cancels-plans-to-furlough-70-of-workforce-averting-major-immigration-crisis

The post Immigration News: USCIS Delays Furloughs Until November 2020 appeared first on David Hirson & Partners, LLP.