On May 27th, USCIS announced that it will reopen some domestic offices and resume non-emergency public services on or after June 4th. As a response to the novel COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS had temporarily suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers. USCIS has been following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. Now, USCIS lists individual office closures and amended hours on its website here. USCIS Field Office in Portland Oregon is set to reopen on June 4th meaning green card and citizenship applicants and their Immigration Lawyers in Portland, Oregon should be ready for their interviews to be scheduled soon.
Please click here for more information regarding visits to USCIS facilities. You can also click here for updates regarding reopenings and modified hours of operation.
Note that USCIS requires that you do not visit an office if you experience any of the following:
- Have any symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, fever or difficulty breathing;
- Have been in close contact with anyone known or suspected to have COVID-19 in the last 14 days; or
- Have been individually directed to self-quarantine or self-isolate by a health care provider or public health official within the last 14 days.
If you need assistance with an emergency service at any time, call the USCIS Contact Center.
Rescheduling Interviews and Appointments
USCIS will reschedule green card and citizenship interviews and appointments for applicants and petitioners who previously had scheduled appointments. If you believe that you should have received a rescheduling notice, you may always contact the USCIS Contact Center.
During these interviews and appointments, visitors are limited to the applicant, one representative, one family member, and one individual providing disability accommodations. The applicant should arrange to have their interpreter available by phone. If you had other appointments, USCIS indicates that you should reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public.
Once services begin to reopen, offices will limit the daily number of appointments and interviews in order to ensure social distancing, allow time for cleaning, and reduce waiting room occupancy. Appointment notices will include information on safety precautions that visitors of USCIS facilities must follow. USCIS will not penalize you if you reschedule due to illness—if you feel sick, follow the instructions on your appointment notice to reschedule your appointment for when you are healthy.
Reopening Asylum Offices
The interview process at asylum offices will be slightly modified to fit with social distancing guidelines. Asylum offices will conduct video-facilitated asylum interviews, with the applicants sitting in a room and the interviewing officer sitting in another room. Asylum offices will use all available technology, such as mobile devices provided by the agency, to ensure that the officer, applicant, interpreter, and representative are still able to fully participate in the interview while practicing social distancing.
For affirmative asylum interviews, applicants must bring all immediate family members listed as dependents on the application as well as an interpreter if the applicant does not speak or understand English. If the applicant is a minor, he or she can also have a representative, witness, individual providing disability accommodations, or “trusted adult†attend the interview.
For non-detained credible or reasonable fear interviews, family members listed on the interview notice must accompany the applicant to the interview. While representatives may attend these interviews, USCIS encourages these individuals to participate telephonically. USCIS can provide professional interpreters for these interviews as well.
USCIS asylum offices will automatically reschedule asylum interviews that were cancelled due to the temporary closures. Asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with a new time, date, and location for their interviews after USCIS reschedules this interview. Asylum applicants will also receive information about safety precautions before attending interviews.
Naturalization Ceremonies during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
If your naturalization ceremony was postponed, USCIS will send notices to reschedule it. To limit the exposure of attendees, the ceremonies will likely be shorter. Rather than playing videos during these ceremonies (which previously occurred), attendees will receive a flyer with information and links directing them to the videos. During the shorter ceremony, only the legally-required portions will occur. Only the naturalization candidate and individuals providing assistance to disabled persons may attend these naturalization ceremonies.
Application Support Centers (ASC)
USCIS will automatically reschedule any necessary ASC appointment that was canceled and send a new appointment letter in the mail with specific safety requirements. With the exception of military members, individuals who appear at a date or time other than that listed on the ASC appointment notice will face processing delays.
Entering USCIS Facilities
According to the USCIS website, visitors may not enter a USCIS facility if they:
- Have any symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, fever or difficulty breathing;
- Have been in close contact with anyone known or suspected to have COVID-19 in the last 14 days; or
- Have been individually directed to self-quarantine or self-isolate by a health care provider or public health official within the last 14 days.
- Visitors may not enter the facility more than 15 minutes prior to their appointment (30 minutes for naturalization ceremonies).
- Hand sanitizer will be provided for visitors at entry points.
- Members of the public must wear facial coverings that cover both the mouth and nose when entering facilities.
- Visitors may be directed to briefly remove their face covering to confirm identity or take their photograph. There will be markings and physical barriers in the facility; visitors should pay close attention to these signs to ensure they follow social distancing guidelines.
- Individuals are encouraged to bring their own black or blue ink pens.
Contact our Immigration Lawyers with any questions you may have about the reopening of USICS FIeld office here in Portland, Oregon.
