In continuation to our COVID blog post, there are several updates on immigration and COVID impact on court proceedings.
On Tuesday March 17, 2020 the US Embassy in Mexico announced that it and all US consulates in Mexico suspended routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services from March 18, 2020 until further notice. All appointments scheduled will received a notice cancelling their appointments and will receive a new appointment once the embassy and consulate open again. The US Embassy and consulate will continue to provide essential consular services to American citizens and emergency visa services.
On March 18, 2020 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic they will temporarily adjust its enforcement posture to focus on public safety risks and individuals subject to mandatory detentions based on criminals grounds. For individuals who do not fall into those categories, they will exercise their discretion to delay enforcement actions until after the crisis. ICE will not currently carry out enforcement operations at or near health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinics.
On Wednesday March 18, 2020, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) announced that all non-detained immigration hearings at immigration court are postponed through April 10. In addition certain immigration courts are entirely closed. The Chicago court is not one of them closed entirely and are accepting filings.
On Tuesday March 17, 2020 USCIS announced that all of their offices are suspending all routine face-to-face services at their offices until at least April 1. This means USCIS will not be conducting residency interview, citizen interviews, oath ceremonies, or biometric (fingerprint) appointments. USCIS will automatically rescheduled anyone who had an appointment scheduled during this time.
Law Office of John Rottier is working with our clients to minimize the impact and find strategic ways to help our clients. Please contact your immigration attorney how COVID is impacting your case. If you do not have legal representation and looking for one, contact our office today.