As many of you know, Republicans and Democrats could not agree on budget by Sept 30. This means that US Government will officially shutdown on 12:01 AM ET on October 1. But no need to worry. The entire government will not shutdown immediately.
There are plans to keep core government running even after the shutdown occurs. You can read some of the plans in the link below:
1. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/m/rls/2013/214880.htm
2. Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Contingency Plans: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/contingency-plans
3. Office of Foreign Labor Certification: http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/
4. CNN has a good article on how shutdown will affect life: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/23/politics/government-shutdown-daily-life/index.html
Specific Groups:
1. USCIS: USCIS is funded primarily by fees from various applications. So staffing would not be generally affected by US government shutdown. However it depends on various other government agencies to perform its duties. Hence USCIS could experience a slowdown when the shutdown occurs. This could mean that processing time could increase.
2. NVC: NVC is under contract and hence its staff is also generally funded. Similar to USCIS, NVC is not likely to be directly affected, but slow down could occur since it also relies on other government agencies.
3. Department of State: The monthly visa bulletin and demand data is published by Department of State based on data from USCIS and consular post around the world. We are not clear how Charles Oppenheim's office would be affected. There may be a small possibility of delay in November 2013 Visa Bulletin (since it has to depend on many other agencies which may have reduced staffing).
In US Embassy/Consulate around the world, it is likely that no new visas may be issued and existing appointments may be cancelled. Please let your friends and family outside US know about this. You can also share this blog post on your favorite social media website.
So are they still gonna issue interview letters and visa this october?
ReplyDeleteIf the interview is for I-485, USCIS will still hold the interview.
DeleteIf the interview is for NVC, they may decide to postpone the interview date.
Hello amazon how is the shutdown going to affect the traveler that has their visas at hand by now example my pakistan friend and my indian school mate.
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to travel inside US, since you already have the visa.
Deletewhat will happen to my application it will have a delay? they still gonna issue a IL AND VISA ALSO, all the appointment in all of the embassy will gonna be cancelled?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the staffing contract for each embassy. There could be a delay due to government shutdown.
DeleteHello amazon, this is f2a from philippines but have an attorney in the USA processing the case. Thus this mean it will affect and stop or slow down my ds 260 filed on line and have that confirmation now. Im waiting for appointment letter as of now if ever all my docs are complete as they review my case.. Please let me know and i thank you very much in advance. Have a good day forward..
ReplyDeleteI am also in this category - just submitted online DS260 and supporting civil documents.
DeleteHow will the shutdown affect cut-off dates? Visa bulletin movement?
Thanks again Amazon!
Visa bulletin movement itself may not be affected. However there could be a delay in releasing the visa bulletin.
DeleteAfter DS 230, there could be a delay in interview dates, since the staff at embassy may be reduced.
Hi, I am waiting for my finger printing notice. Do you think the Government shutdown would affect the finger printing?
ReplyDeleteUSCIS should continue to work as usual (as explained in the blog post above).
DeleteHello amazon, how can this affect my waiting for my appointment since ds260 was filed and have the confirmation now. F2a category here in philippines and have attorney on file processing the case.
ReplyDeleteThere could be a delay, due to less staffing at local consulate.
DeleteAmazon,
ReplyDeleteSince my EAD status changed CPO on Oct 01, the duties of USCIS is not affected.
Shrishi
Congrats Shrishi. Generally notifications are sent in batches. So it is likely that it changed to CPO on Sept 30 and notification was sent next day.
Deletehello amazon,
ReplyDeletemy wife has filed i-130 case(spouse visa) on 16th of feb and got NOA1 on 4th march but still waiting for NOA2,does recent shutdown effects on geting NOA2?.it could be delay or not?
I-130 is processed by USCIS. However it relies on other government agencies also. Since those have short staff, it could increasing processing time for many applications (I-130, I-485, etc).
DeleteWill their be any issues for H4 stamping?
ReplyDeleteThere could be a delay, if staffing is low in that US consulate. You may want to call them and confirm.
Deletefiled DS230 29th August EB3 ROW how long do i have to wait for interview/ Green Card
ReplyDeleteThe average timeline for each step is in the blog post above. You can also check the GC tracker: http://www.mygcvisa.com/tracker
DeleteI filed in june, got ead card in july and just done my fingerprint in 9/19. So far 3 weeks now. Government shutdown affecting on background check and approving my I 485. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteG
Hi, I wish i understood this demand stuff data better. I belong to EB3 ROW with PD for Nov 2009. I got my finger printing done this week. Do you know if my PD would remain current?
ReplyDeleteKinda confused at this point
There are lots of links on right side of this page that I would recommend. Check out "What is demand data" under I-485 FAQ.
DeleteHi guys! We know you are working hard, just wondering what kind of delay times this might mean for I 130s. We filled ours out and sent it July 16th, and it began processing, so just wondering if you have any idea how much longer the delay might be.
ReplyDeleteGovernment shutdown ended around a week ago. They are now working in full capacity.
Delete