One of the many jobs of USCIS is to offer citizenship, green cards, and visas to immigrants around the world. However, due to budget shortfalls, the federal agency announced that it will be furloughing about 13,400 of its 20,000 employees by August 30. This will cut two-thirds of their staff. Due to the agency’s important job, it can be expected that these cuts will have a large impact on immigration to the United States as a whole.
Due to the high number of furloughs, there are many who believe it is another move by the Trump Administration in order to half immigration to the United States. In a recent interview done by Forbes with Doug Rand, an individual who worked on immigration policy in the Obama Administration, Rand detailed how this decision would affect immigration to the country.
As a result of the furloughs at USCIS, Rand stated that millions of immigrants may be impacted. This includes up to 3 million individuals who will apply for green cards and temporary work visas. In addition to this, there are over 760,000 permanent residents who renew their green cards every year. If they are not able to do so due to these furloughs, they could possibly lose their permanent resident status as a result. This stands the same for the over 400,000 DACA recipients who are looking to renew their permanents and are at risk of deportation if they do not. Over 156,000 married couples can be affected as well, as they require a final interview to receive their permanent resident status or they can lose their chance to become citizens.
Only time will tell how much of an impact these furloughs will have on immigration to the United States. If you are currently going through the immigration process or are about to begin to, it can benefit you to retain the services of our experienced New York City immigration attorney to guide you through the process and help you with this time ahead. Contact our firm today for any question that you may have.
Contact our Firm
The Law Offices of Cheryl R. David practices immigration law throughout NYC. Immigration is a sensitive issue, which is why you should consider a compassionate, experienced, and aggressive immigration attorney who will guide you every step of the way. If you have questions about your particular matters regarding immigration please do not hesitate to contact our office to discuss your circumstances and options.
