There are definitely things to consider if you are a USCIS applicant seeking an immigration benefit, but have run into trouble or are seeking guidance somewhere along the way. In one light, many USCIS applicants will have interruptions in their lives that will result in a missed appointment. You might also be wondering when the USCIS is ever going to respond to your case and issue you a final decision on the benefit you are requesting. In light of these issues, we will discuss some techniques and guidance for dealing with the USCIS during unpredictable times.
Seeking Assistance
If you look on different immigration help sites, they usually advise applicants to call the USCIS Contact Center at 1.800.375.5283. However, one of the most common complaints with regards to the Contact Center is that applicants have a hard time reaching anyone—meaning a live representative. If you are having difficulties reaching a live agent, and need to reschedule an appointment, you will have to exhaust other options.
The first option is to actually visit your processing center. Doing so will help expedite the process for rescheduling an interview. If the processing center or regional office is not easily within reach, you should contact via email whom you have been speaking with. Make sure that you are responding to an individual and not an automated email.
Another option is to write a letter to the processing center explaining your situation. This will usually need to be done in advance, given that the USPS can also experience delays. Letters can also be a way of attaching evidence/supplementary information to a case.
Covid-19 Protocol
Additionally, you might be wondering if you should proceed with your USCIS appointment if you are feeling ill, with the possibility of having Covid-19. In the case of a Covid scare, make sure that you go to a drug-store and buy a rapid test, or go to a testing site or your doctors office to see if you are negative or positive for Covid-19, and also to discuss symptoms. You don’t need to present a negative test result in order to visit a processing center, but you should notify the processing center to reschedule your interview or Biometrics appointment if you have presented a positive Covid-19 result in the immediacy before your appointment.
Finally, the USCIS has added new guidance to its website in regards to international travel. They currently state on their website that an individual may not visit a USCIS facility if: they have returned from international travel within the past 10 days and are not fully vaccinated.[1] They agency has also adopted slightly different regulations than what is normally considered fully vaccinated in other parts of the world (including the EU). For example, the U.S. states that fully vaccinated means, “…it has been at least two weeks since you received your second dose in a two dose series, or at least two weeks since you received a single dose vaccine.”[2] In other words, booster shots don’t confirm an individuals completion of being fully vaccinated.
