USCIS Warns of Impending Furloughs Unless Congress Approves Emergency Funds

Beginning in August 2020, approximately 13,400 employees of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or 73% of its 20,000+ employees are slated for furlough unless USCIS receives funding from Congress.

Unlike most federal agencies, USCIS is almost entirely funded by application and petition fees.  However, in May, USCIS requested $1.2 billion from Congress.  The reason for the request was that USCIS has seen a 50% drop in receipts and fees starting in March. A USCIS spokesperson reported that “This dramatic drop in revenue has made it impossible for our agency to operate at full capacity. Without additional funding from Congress before August 3, USCIS has no choice but to administratively furlough a substantial portion of our workforce.” USCIS stated that it would pay any congressional funds received back to the Treasury via a 10% surcharge added to applications.

USCIS employees recently received emails notifying them that furloughs would begin on August 3 and last for at least 30 days, with the potential to last three months or longer, according to sources within USCIS. The cuts to staff will vary from office to office. This drastic cut to USCIS’s workforce will likely severely impact processing times, service requests, and possibly result in a temporary suspension of premium processing.  

Iandoli Desai & Cronin P.C. will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as we receive more information.