USCIS furloughs cancelled, delays still expected

USCIS announced on August 25, 2020 that the agency will avert a furlough of nearly 70% of its workforce, which was initially scheduled for August 3, then postponed to August 31.    The first delay announcement on July 24 came after Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) pressed USCIS to reverse course on its intended furlough after he made public the fact that new revenue estimates showed the agency due to end the fiscal year in a surplus, and not the previously projected $571 million deficit. 

USCIS now expects to be able to maintain operations through the end of fiscal year 2020, September 30, 2020, noting however that aggressive spending reduction measures will impact all agency operations. USCIS reports that the additional cost savings come through the descoping of federal contracts that assist USCIS adjudicators in processing and preparing case files as well as a myriad of other support activities. Anticipated operational impacts include increased wait times for pending case inquiries with the USCIS Contact Center, longer case processing times, and increased adjudication time for aliens adjusting status or naturalizing.