Dear friends,
Late last night the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) announced that to help slow the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, it will be suspending routine in-person services from March 18th until at least April 1st; in its local offices, asylum offices and application support centers. However, it will continue to perform its duties that do not involve contact with the public. It will also provide emergency services for limited situations and instructed to schedule emergency appointments using the USCIS Contact Center [1]. The USCIS also reassured the public that:
“USCIS domestic field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by this closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location for the interview. When USCIS again resumes normal operations, USCIS will automatically reschedule Application Support Center appointments due to the office closure. You will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments at the field office must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center, once field offices reopen to the public. Please check the USCIS Field Offices page [2] to see if your field office [3] has reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center. USCIS will provide further updates as the situation develops and will continue to follow CDC guidance.”
In addition, the Immigration Courts in Massachusetts are only holding hearings for those who are detained. Check the EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review) COVID-19 page [4] for any changes in the status of Immigration Courts. They will also be sending notices with the rescheduled hearing dates as needed.
At FitzGerald Law Company, we are monitoring the situation carefully and will keep you informed if we receive any re-scheduling notices or if we are aware of anything that will affect your case. Likewise, if you receive any re-scheduling notices please forward them to our office. We will continue to work with our clients, third parties, the courts and government agencies via phone, email and the postal service.
Stay informed on the latest facts about COVID-19 [5] by visiting the dedicated page of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and continue practicing good preventative health habits.
Learn about the USCIS Response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) [6] and more about the Department of Homeland Security’s response. [7]
Be well, stay positive, collaborate, and look forward beyond these trying times.
Respectfully,
The FitzGerald Law Company Team