USCIS has been delaying the printing of green cards and employment authorization documents that the organization has already promised to individuals. This accompanies a wave of green card and work permit delays related to the U.S.’s response in immigration policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is important to note that USCIS is currently still open, processing applications and accepting new ones. Typically, if USCIS approves a new application, the organization will issue an approval notice and will mail a green card or employment authorization document to the applicant. Historically, USCIS has outsourced the printing of these documents to a third-party company. In June, however, USCIS’s contract with the third-party company expired. Rather than renewing this contract, USCIS decided to handle the printing of these documents internally. Due to USCIS’s current budget crisis, however, the organization has not hired workers to handle this insourced printing, which contributes to the current delay in these documents’ issuance, printing, and delivery.

At the moment, there are 50,000 green cards and 75,000 employment authorization documents that have been promised to immigrants and that have yet to be printed, USCIS disclosed in a statement. Many of these missing green cards are for immigrants who are newly approved for legal permanent residency, although others are for existing permanent residents who are attempting to renew their identity cards.  These are essential for lawful permanent residents to have, as these documents demonstrate proof of status in the U.S., which is needed when applying for a job. Without such documents, individuals in the U.S. can face fines or prison sentences.

Overall, green card and work permit issuances are dependent upon the capabilities of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS has seen a major decrease in immigration application filings. Now, USCIS finds itself in a budget crisis because of the steep decline in applications. USCIS seeks a $1.2 billion bailout from the U.S. Congress, proposing a 10% visa fee surcharge in efforts to repay the loan. If Congress cannot provide these funds before the 3rd of August, USCIS will have to furlough over 13,000 staff members. As a consequence, this will only further delay H-1B processing, green card renewals, and work permits.

These delays come after President Trump’s June 22nd Executive Order, which temporarily suspended the entry of many foreign workers into the United States, pausing the overall issuance of H-1B visas (used by tech companies), H-2B visas (for seasonal employees), J-1 visas (for cultural exchanges), and L-1 visas (for corporate executives). While this excludes hundreds of thousands of individuals from obtaining employment and from uniting with their family members in the United States, the executive order does not impact the status of individuals already in the United States and who have already been promised these green cards or work permits.

The June proclamation heavily restricts immigration, justified by the rationale of strengthening the American economy through American job retention. However, multinational corporations continue to face shortages of skilled professionals in the U.S., according to Yasmin Mirreh in a Bloomberg News article.

The consequential delays that accompany this executive order are frustrating. In many countries, consulates have been closed or are operating during limited hours. Furthermore, once these offices do reopen, priority will likely be given to appointments that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This puts new applicants waiting for many more months (and possibly years, depending upon the circumstances). In a report last week, the USCIS announced that about 583,420 H-1B visa holders working in the U.S. are stuck in decades-long green card waiting lines due to per country caps.

As immigration policy continues to intersect with the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS’s budget shortfall, and President Trump’s new executive orders, we are left wondering how – and when – individuals who have been promised green cards or work permits will obtain these documents.

On July 6th, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications to temporary exceptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the fall term of 2020. The SEVP, which sets all student visa regulations for student visas, is run by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This spring and summer 2020, the SEVP allowed foreign students to take their courses online while remaining in the United States. Now, the U.S. The Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools or programs that are fully online for the fall semester. Additionally, the Customs and Border Protection will not allow such students to enter the country if they are abroad. International students on F-1 and M-1 visas residing in the U.S. whose schools are planning on using online platforms for classes this fall 2020 must leave the country or take other measures, such as transferring to another institution with in-person options. If international students do not do so, they risk violating their visa status and may be removed from the country.

In its announcement on the ICE website, SEVP noted that foreign students who do not transfer to in-person programs and who remain in the U.S. while enrolled in online courses would face “immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”

Students taking in-person classes with F-1 nonimmigrant visas may remain in the country, but continue to be bound by existing federal regulations. Eligible F students may only take one class or three credit hours online.

Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools with a hybrid model (a mixture of online and in-person classes) can take more than one class or three credit hours. Such students must have valid certification from their universities that their programs are not entirely online. Such institutions must certify to SEVP with Form I-20 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status” to prove that their program is not entirely online, that the student is not taking an entirely online course load during the fall semester of 2020, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online courses required for their degree program.

Finally, students in English language courses and nonimmigrant M-1 visa students with vocational degrees may not take online courses.

If an international student begins his or her fall semester with in-person classes but is later required to switch to online classes (which could happen if the university’s policy changes due to changes in the COVID-19 pandemic), he or she must update their information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) within 10 days of the change. Likewise, if the student changes his or her course selections so that all courses are taken online, this change must be noted in the SEVIS as well.

Note that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish procedures and responsibilities in the Federal Register as a Temporary Final Rule.

This change will result in the U.S. losing many thousands of students because of this regulation, which will negatively impact international perception of the United States. Today, the U.S. has over a million international students studying at universities and vocational institutions. Many educational institutions have already announced that they will adopt a fully-online program for the upcoming fall 2020 semester to support containment of the pandemic.

This new change comes during an unpredictable time during which the Trump Administration has already expanded restrictions on immigration, citing the pandemic as a valid justification. Like previous visa bans, this new restriction will lead to USCIS suffering financially, as fewer visa application fees will be deposited into the institution’s hands.

It is very likely that talented international students who are forced to leave will feel resentful towards the U.S., lessening the chance of them returning as a student, as a visitor, or as an employee in the future. This will hurt American industry innovation and productivity, since foreign workers have always added a profound richness to this country.

Before the end of June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to deliver a ruling about the future of DACA. This ruling will have deep impacts for the 649,070 immigrants with DACA status across the country. It is suspected that the Supreme Court will favor the Trump Administration and rule to terminate the DACA program.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was created by President Obama in 2012 after considerable pressure from immigrant rights advocates. Since its conception, DACA was not intended to be a permanent solution, but rather, a “temporary stopgap measure,” as President Obama explained. The program helped individuals who were brought to the United States before the age of 16 and who were younger than 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012 (the date the program was announced). Individuals with DACA status have a two-year deferment from deportation, a Social security number, and the right to work legally in the U.S. This status is renewable every two years.

On September 5th, 2017, the Trump Administration announced that DACA would begin phasing out, pushing for Congress to establish a replacement program. Since 2017, immigrants have been unable to apply for DACA and can only renew if they are already recipients. There are concerns that immigrants with DACA status will be unable to renew their statuses after June.

Even if the Supreme Court rules to terminate or pause DACA this June 2020, President Trump still has the authority to allow individuals with DACA status to continue receiving DACA benefits. It is possible that the President may allow for renewals to continue, even after June 2020, until a new permanent solution is established.

A recommendation to individuals with DACA status is to try renewing DACA statuses before the end of June, in case the ruling does establish termination. DACA renewals received earlier than 150 days and up to 365 days in advance may be accepted. At the end of March 2020, 23,020 DACA recipients with April, May, and June expirations were reported to have yet to apply for renewals of their protections. If DACA recipients lose their ability to renew protections, about 1 in 5 individuals with DACA statuses in the U.S. will lose their protections by November 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique period of time, and a termination of DACA will have deep impacts on the U.S.’s management of the pandemic. Today, more than 200,000 DACA recipients are considered to be essential workers, including 28,200 nurses, personal care aides, and medical assistants, according to the Center for American Progress. Can the U.S. afford to lose this medical support during this pandemic?

On a positive note, immigrant-rights advocates continue to push for a permanent solution in Congress that will benefit noncitizens. The HR-6 Act, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, would offer 2.5 million immigrants eligibility for protections and a pathway to citizenship. This is a bill that was passed by the House of Representatives, but has not yet been heard by the Senate. Perhaps, if DACA is paused or terminated, the HR-6 Act will gain more momentum.