The first day of fasting for the holy month of Ramadan began on April 1st and will go for 30 days until May 1st, 2022. Ramadan tends to affect the daily routines of Muslims who fast for religious and/or spiritual purposes. In the United States, businesses, universities, and institutions more generally are supposed to accommodate individuals who might be fasting during Ramadan—at least if they are committed to the diversity principles they usually set forth in some type of Diversity and Inclusion Statement. The USCIS will generally grant an rescheduling request due to Ramadan based on their policies and given the fact that many re-settled individuals in the U.S. are from Middle Eastern or North African countries.
If you are an immigrant in the United States, or are applying for some type of benefit via the USCIS, you should be aware that you can have your appointment at a USCIS processing center rescheduled if you need to due to Ramadan, or a major inconvenience due to fasting. The USCIS is absolutely obligated to reschedule you, but be sure to give them a legitimate reason as to why you cannot attend your appointment.
In order to reschedule, you should start the following process depending on the type of immigration benefit you are requesting:
1. Determine the nature of the appointment that you will need to reschedule for. If it is a simple Biometrics appointment that you cannot attend, your first step should be to call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283.
2. If you are looking to reschedule an asylum interview/appointment, then you are recommended by the USCIS to go that office and complete an in-Person Reschedule Request.
3. If you are unable to reach anyone by phone, you can also write a letter to the office explaining your situation.
Additionally, if you need to reschedule an I-485 green card interview, you should be advised that this will likely extend your wait time for a green card by several months. In other words, you should not reschedule a green card interview unless it is extremely difficult for you to attend. Finally, according to Nolo, a legal encyclopedia, it will take approximately 4 to 8 weeks to reschedule a naturalization (N-400) interview.[1] If you do not absolutely need to reschedule a naturalization interview, it is also well advised.
