The House Passed an Emergency Funding to Avoid USCIS furloughs

The USCIS cancelled the furloughs scheduled to happen on August 31st! The House has passed an emergency funding for USCIS. See the original story and updates below:

USCIS Delayed the Scheduled Furloughs Untl August 31st

USCIS announced the funding shortfall back in May 2020 during COVID-19 pandemic and asked Congress for $1.2 billion in emergency appropriations to address the issue. Since the furloughs can potentially affect thousands applicants, I complied some key takeaways for those who may be interested in knowing what's happening:

• The USCIS funding shortfall is due to the declining immigration application fees during COVID-19
• The funding shortfall will affect much of USCIS officers' wages and thousands of applicants who rely on their services
• USCIS asked Congress for $1.2 billion in emergency appropriations 
• In June, USCIS anticipated a 60% drop in fees for the remainder of fiscal year 2020
• The original scheduled furloughs were on August 3rd
• The new scheduled furloughs are on August 30th
• 13,400 employees are planned to be furloughed

Why delay the furloughs? USCIS said this delay is to allow Congress to have enough time to act and provide them with the funding needed.

What could happen next? There have been talks for a second round of pandemic relief and some lawmakers in the House and Senate said this could potentially include some relief funding for USCIS. At least we know for sure that August stays the same and there's hope for future!

*New Update 8/25/2020: The House passed an emergency funding bill to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS has cancelled the furloughs originally scheduled for August 31st. 

This is another reason to submit your application earlier than later to avoid any variables - we don't know what can happen in the future.

See my personal experience: DIY How I Applied for My Green Card with No RFE!