Friends, in this video, I'm going to speak with you about the latest update with the
USCIS bailout issue, and how their money issues may impact you and other people out there
who are waiting for their immigration petition or application to be approved.
So stick around all the way until the end so that you get those details.
And then I'm also going to share with you my tip for how to get through this time.
So stay tuned.
Now, friends, before I get into it.
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Or, "I was on the bus and I overheard a conversation about you."
Guys, you are amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing this information, because people really need good information.
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Now, let's get into this discussion.
So USCIS, friends, I reported out to you just a few weeks ago that they're going broke.
They went to Congress and they asked for 1.2 billion in emergency appropriations to help
get them through the next two years.
And so this was an odd request from this agency, it was so odd because USCIS is funded primarily
by application filing fees.
And so, going the taxpayer and ask them for taxpayer dollars is very unique for this type
of agency.
So Congress has not said yes yet.
Congress has not acted in fact on the requests.
And so USCIS has further threatened that we're going to have to start furloughing people
this summer, because we don't have the money to even get us through this summer.
Why not?
Because application filing dropped by 61%.
And so then on top of that, we had coronavirus pandemic.
And so, according to USCIS, a dramatic decrease in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic
actually had forced them to consider furloughing their people.
And so what's the latest with respect to this furlough news?
So USCIS gave their staff a 30 day notice that they will begin furloughing staff.
And they were expected to begin the furloughs starting July 20th, but apparently they have
since identified some new sources of funds, some additional revenue I should say.
And they will not begin furloughing their staff until August 3rd.
So what they're saying now is if Congress does not act and give them that bailout money,
they're going to begin furloughing staff by August 3rd.
And so the agency has said that they're looking to furlough 13,400 USCIS employees.
So here's the statement from USCIS.
And I'm going to pull it up here in this video.
USCIS says, "We previously anticipated that the furlough would begin on July 20th, but
we have received additional revenue and have identified cost savings to extend the potential
furlough date to August 3rd in the event Congress does not provide emergency funding.
We continue to work with Congress to provide the necessary funding to avert this unfortunate
consequence."
So that's interesting, USCIS is saying that they're continuing to work with Congress to
provide the necessary funding to avert the unnecessary consequence of laying off as many
as 13,400 employees.
And so the other part of this, friends, as I've mentioned before, is that USCIS also
plans on adding a 10% surcharge on all application fees, they say, as an attempt to reimburse
the taxpayers for the 1.2 billion.
And guys, that's on top of the scheduled fee increase that you guys have heard me talk
about, and I'm going to link to that in this video as well so that you can see what's coming.
They're planning on increasing their fees, and it's going to be pretty significant for
certain processes, such as the green card process and also naturalization process.
So go back and watch that video.
And so friends, what about you?
So you might be saying to yourself or asking yourself this question, "Well, Latoya, should
I even file right now?
All this craziness is going on at that agency.
I'm hearing about them placing hold on green card applications.
I'm hearing about this bailout issue.
Them furloughing staff starting next month.
What should I do?
Should I just sit back and just watch to see how things are going to play out with the
election in November with President Trump?
Or, should I just wait and see?"
And so my best recommendation or tip is that you don't wait and see.
Because in the process of waiting and seeing, things are not going to really get better
for you in terms of the cost, number one, because fees are going up.
And number two, all these stumbling blocks the Trump administration is putting in place
is not making the process smoother and easier for folks these days.
So, sitting back and waiting is really not the best strategy during a time like this.
It's really to your advantage to get your application in as soon as possible.
So friends, in summary, USCIS bailout request has not been approved yet by Congress.
They are still planning on furloughing their staff, but they're planning to begin the furloughs
on August 3rd, potential furlough date that they've put out there.
And so, get your application filed.
Don't wait any longer.
Don't wait until the fees go up.
Don't wait until...
Just don't wait, that's all I'm going to share with you.
Just don't wait.
And so guys, I hope you found this video helpful, share it with other people, comment below.
And friends, I will see you in the next one.
Bye-bye.