USCIS announced that it would not go through with its anticipated furloughs on August 30, 2020, preventing roughly 70% of their employees from being furloughed. For months, USCIS has asked Congress for a financial bailout, as USCIS warned them of budgetary shortfalls due to COVID-19. USCIS was looking for a $1.2 billion bailout, with repayment to Congress coming in the form of a 10% surcharge tacked on to all petitions/applications. Unfortunately, Congress was unable to reach an agreement with Congress, but USCIS still decided to postpone furloughs. USCIS relies heavily on filing fees for revenue, and in recent months that revenue has stabilized somewhat.
Despite the stabilizing of their revenue, USCIS still warns Congress that they will need congressional backing to make it through the fiscal year 2021, which is to begin October 1, 2020. If not, furloughs may still be an option in the future. Because the financial situation of USCIS is tenuous, USCIS announced that they will be making massive spending cuts to keep their employees. What that means for you is that you may, unfortunately, expect longer wait times for pending case inquiries, longer case processing times, and increased adjudication times. This is a developing story as we will see what Congress will do.
