In light of the COVID-19 public health crisis, all USCIS field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (ASCs) have discontinued in-person services until April 1, 2020. This includes interviews of all kinds, from naturalization examinations to applications for adjustment of status; citizenship oath ceremonies; and even fingerprint or biometric appointments. If you currently have an interview scheduled for this month, you should be receiving a letter from USCIS descheduling it in light of this new policy. Obviously, any interviews that have been canceled will, at some point, be rescheduled for a different date and time, but it may be some time before individuals receive notices of their new interviews. Additionally, no one knows how long this crisis will last and how government-ordered (federal, state, and local) restrictions and closures will impact operations.
USCIS has also announced that it will temporarily suspend Premium Processing for all I-129 and I-140 applications. (Premium processing is a mechanism by which employers are able to receive a decision on their petitions within 14 days.)
As far as immigration courts are concerned, all non-detained hearings have been postponed and some courts across the country, including Newark, are temporarily closed. The ones that remain open are only hearing detained matters at this time.
Obviously, all organizations-both public and private-have been tremendously affected by this pandemic. Applicants should realistically expect significant delays for all types of benefit applications. This includes applications for citizenship; permanent residence; asylum; and even work permits.