Today USCIS announced that it would avert the administrative furlough of more than 13,000 employees, nearly 70% of its workforce, which was scheduled to begin August 30, 2020 “as a result of unprecedented spending cuts and a steady increase in daily incoming revenue and receipts.”
Although the furlough itself has been canceled, USCIS still plans to cut back on federal contracts used in assisting USCIS adjudicators in processing and preparing cases. USCIS stated in its news release that it anticipates operational impacts such as increased wait times with the USCIS Contact Center, longer case processing times, and possibly even increased adjudication times for individuals who have filed adjustment of status or naturalization applications. USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow further stated “[a] return to normal operating procedures requires congressional intervention to sustain the agency through fiscal year 2021.”
To read USCIS' full news release, please click here.
