USCIS Plans to Reopen Field Offices & Application Support Centres
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has confirmed it is preparing field offices to reopen on or after June 4.
In-person services at USCIS field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) have been suspended since the department’s announcement on March 18, to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
If your application is affected
USCIS continues to provide mission-essential services that do not require face-to-face contact with the public while the offices are closed. This includes for example certain medical personnel providing assistance in relation to COVID-19.
To make an emergency appointment, call the USCIS Contact Center.
If you already have an appointment scheduled at a USCIS field office, applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by the extended temporary closure.
If you already have an appointment at an asylum office, USCIS will send an interview cancellation notice and you should receive notification of a rescheduled time, date and location.
If you have an ASC appointment, this will automatically be rescheduled once in-person services are resumed and you should receive notification of the rescheduled appointment by mail.
For any other existing USCIS appointment, such as InfoPass appointments, individuals should call the USCIS Contact Center to rearrange once the field offices reopen to the public. Please check to see if the respective office has been reopened before calling the Contact Center. USCIS has confirmed that temporary closures of its field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) will remain in effect until May 3, 2020.
To help avoid workforce and operational disruption, our advice to employers is to continue with preparations for US visa applications during this time, so that once processing is resumed and travel restrictions eased and/or lifted, you are in a position to proceed quickly with filing your submissions.
US immigration advice
NNU Immigration is actively monitoring the impact of the pandemic on US immigration policy and application processing.
As the situation continues to develop, please contact our US immigration specialists for the latest advice for your specific circumstances.
This article does not constitute direct legal advice and is for informational purposes only.
Last updated: 24 April 2020
Author
Founder & Principal Attorney Nita Nicole Upadhye is a recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law (AILA) and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with both US and UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
Nita successfully acts for corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, actors, and athletes from across the globe, providing expert guidance on all aspects of US visa and nationality applications, and talent mobility to the USA.
Nita is an active public speaker, thought leader, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
