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USCIS pushes back 13,000 furloughs until the end of August

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: United Kingdom
Timeline

US Immigration and Citizenship Services, the federal agency responsible for legal immigration processing, pushed back a planned furlough date for more than half of its workforce until August 31.

The immigration agency previously said it would have to furlough more than 13,000 employees at the beginning of August if Congress did not provide emergency supplemental funding.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/24/politics/ice-furloughs-august/index.html

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
Timeline

I still find the surplus at the end of the fiscal year part odd. Are they planning to dip into that once the new furloughs start in September?

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview 

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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  • 4 weeks later...

They've been threatening to furlough USCIS workes since May 2020. It keeps getting delayed. They want $1.2 billion for two years, so $600 million per year. Their budget is just over $4 billion annually. So they were only calculating a 15% drop in their budget because 97% of their budget comes from the applicants. Why furlough everyone? Just furlough 15% of your workforce because there was a 15% drop in applicants. When applications start coming in again and money is paid, hire back those furloughed workers. 

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Filed: AOS (pnd) Country: Poland
Timeline

They introduced a bill yesterday to try and stop the furloughs. I'm not sure how likely it is that this one will be passed or how long that would take.


https://lofgren.house.gov/media/press-releases/bipartisan-house-members-introduce-emergency-stopgap-bill-prevent-uscis

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Netherlands
Timeline

Hi everyone! Just saw this good news posted by the Wall Street Journal! Unfortunately I don't have a subscription so I can't read the entire article, but the headline is promising!!! This was just published an hour ago. From what I could read, the House passed a bill which would provide supplemental funding to avoid furloughs at the end of the month. If you guys could help me find other new sources on this topic please let me know :D

 

*EDIT* Just saw that me and @lesly87 just posted this at the same time, sorry about that!

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-passes-emergency-funding-to-halt-immigration-agency-cuts-11598141852

Edited by ts0276a
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11 hours ago, lesly87 said:

Still needs to pass the Senate and get signed by the president unfortunately...

A magical mystery tour of many US visas prior to AOS... (J-1, F-1, H-1B)

I-485/AOS:

Spoiler

EAD/AP - NOA received May 18, 2020

AOS - NOA received May 18, 2020

Biometrics (Code 2) - August 5, 2020

Biometrics take 2 (Code 3) - August 27, 2020

Ready to be Scheduled for Interview - September 8, 2020

EAD/AP Approval Notice - October  1, 2020

EAD Card Received - October 13, 2020

Interview Scheduled Notification - March 1, 2021

Interview Scheduled - April 6, 2021

GC Approved - May 7, 2021

GC Mailed - May 11, 2021

GC Delivered - May 11, 2021

 

N400 Citizenship:

File Date - January 8, 2024

Biometrics Waiver - January 8, 2024

Interview Scheduled - March 7, 2024

Interview Date - April 12, 2024

 

Removal of Conditions:

File Date - January 7, 2023

Package Delivered - January 9, 2023

NOA Date - January 10, 2023

NOA Received - January 17, 2023 (dated "received" January 9, 2023)

48 Month Extension Received - March 20, 2023
 

event.png

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Filed: AOS (pnd) Country: Hungary
Timeline
55 minutes ago, Rearviewmirror said:

Still needs to pass the Senate and get signed by the president unfortunately...

Yes and since the Senate is on “vacation” until September it just looks like an empty gesture. 

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Filed: AOS (pnd) Country: Poland
Timeline
47 minutes ago, Leeman15251 said:

Yes and since the Senate is on “vacation” until September it just looks like an empty gesture. 

It's very frustrating, but it's not really an "empty gesture" any more than the bill that they passed just before this one to prevent cutbacks at USPS. It's just the very first step in getting the bill passed. The Senate will be back in two weeks, and it's likely that the bill will be passed then. Having the House finally pass this bill should encourage USCIS leaders to stop the furloughs, but we'll see...

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See latest update below. However, looks like it comes at the cost of naturalization case processing delays, and further increasing backlogs....

 

https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-averts-furlough-of-nearly-70-of-workforce

USCIS Averts Furlough of Nearly 70% of Workforce

Release Date 
08/25/2020

Drastic cuts will impact agency operations for foreseeable future

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that the agency will avert an administrative furlough of more than 13,000 employees, scheduled to begin Aug. 30 as a result of unprecedented spending cuts and a steady increase in daily incoming revenue and receipts.

USCIS expects to be able to maintain operations through the end of fiscal year 2020. Aggressive spending reduction measures will impact all agency operations, including naturalizations, and will drastically impact agency contracts.

“Our workforce is the backbone of every USCIS accomplishment. Their resilience and strength of character always serves the nation well, but in this year of uncertainty, they remain steadfast in their mission administering our nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and protecting the American people, even as a furlough loomed before them,” said USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow. “However, averting this furlough comes at a severe operational cost that will increase backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid future furloughs. A return to normal operating procedures requires congressional intervention to sustain the agency through fiscal year 2021.”

The additional cost savings come through the descoping of federal contracts that assist USCIS adjudicators in processing and preparing case files as well as a myriad of other support activities. Anticipated operational impacts include increased wait times for pending case inquiries with the USCIS Contact Center, longer case processing times, and increased adjudication time for aliens adjusting status or naturalizing. Naturalization ceremonies will continue. Previously, members of Congress requested that agency leadership avoid operational cuts of this magnitude. However, Congress must still act on a long-term solution that will provide USCIS with the necessary financial assistance to sustain the agency throughout FY 2021 and beyond.

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
Timeline

**Thread now locked in favor of ongoing thread with news update; see below**

 

VJ Moderation

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview 

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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