U.S. Government Shutdown 2018: How Does It Affect Immigration Services?

An official partial shutdown of the U.S. government commenced on January 20, 2018. The shutdown became official as the U.S. Senate refused to pass a stopgap spending measure to keep the government operating. As the shutdown takes effect, all “non-essential” federal programs and services are suspended.

The shutdown’s effect on immigration services will be limited initially but may deepen if the shutdown continues. Here is how the shutdown will affect various immigration-related services:

• USCIS: The shutdown should not affect USCIS, for the most part, as the agency is largely funded by user fees. As such, there should be minimal effects on petition filing or adjudications. E-Verify, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program, Conrad 30 J-1 Doctors program, and the Non-Minister Religious Worker classification under EB-4 Green Card category, will be affected by the shutdown.
• Department of State: The DOS announced that scheduled passport and visa services will continue as the situation permits. They will not predict, however, how long this can continue.

We at VisaPro are closely monitoring the developments and will keep our readers informed as more information becomes available in this matter.