USCIS warns govt shutdown to delay visas, interviews and naturalization ceremonies

 

The U.S. government shutdown, now in effect after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a budget agreement, is disrupting immigration services, including visa and green card processing, leaving thousands of Indian professionals in limbo.

At the centre of the disruption is the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), whose funding has been halted. Immigration lawyers explained that the DOL is critical to the process: before a company can sponsor an H-1B worker, it must file a Labour Condition Application (LCA), and the department also handles PERM certifications that underpin employment-based green cards.

With these processes frozen, H-1B and green card applicants face delays that could stretch far beyond the shutdown.

USCIS Director Joseph B. Eldow, in a series of posts on X, confirmed that resources are being redirected to prioritize national security concerns. “USCIS is committed to ensuring that the unintended consequences of the shutdown that has been forced by Senate Democrats do not negatively impact national security and endanger the safety of American Citizens,” he wrote.

He added that for the duration of the shutdown, USCIS will focus on “reviewing cases with national security concerns, vetting immigration backlogs to ID threats, & referring all threats to ICE.” But he acknowledged that “this reprioritization may impact processing times.”

Public-facing services will also be affected. “Public facing interactions such as interviews, naturalization ceremonies, and contact center responses may also be delayed. USCIS regrets any negative impacts caused to aliens and Americans seeking benefits from the agency but must ensure that it complies with the law,” Eldow posted.

The political standoff began after lawmakers failed to pass a spending bill to keep the government funded into October. About 40% of the federal workforce—some 750,000 employees—are expected to be put on unpaid leave.

While budget fights are not unusual in Washington, the current impasse has been especially heated. President Donald Trump has cut the size of the federal government significantly and has indicated he may use this shutdown to push for further reductions. Democrats, meanwhile, have resisted spending cuts to healthcare programs such as Medicaid and demanded extensions of tax credits that subsidize health insurance.

The result has been the first U.S. shutdown in nearly seven years, with immigration services emerging as one of the most affected areas.