Questions and Answers > Other Eb-5 Questions

Is my scheduled interview with USCIS still valid during the government shutdown?

I have an EB-5 I-485 interview scheduled at USCIS for late January. But I have not received any email about cancellation due to the government shutdown. Should I still prepare to attend?

Answers

• Julia Roussinova

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on February 4, 2019

  Yes, you should still attend the interview.

• Ed Beshara

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 14, 2019

  Still plan to attend. Otherwise, if you do not, the USCIS may deny your application. It is always easier to attend a rescheduled interview.

• Bernard P Wolfsdorf

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 10, 2019

  It is still valid. Prepare to go.

• Stephen Berman

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes, USCIS is conducting interviews now during the shutdown. I personally attended one this week.

• Salvatore Picataggio

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Absolutely! USCIS is even accepting new I-526 petitions (even though they will not process them until reauthorization).

• Laily Boutaleb

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes. If you have a scheduled interview, your interview will go forward. Yes, prepare and attend.

• Belma Demirovic Chinchoy

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes.

• Lynne Feldman

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes, USCIS is mostly working, as they are fee-based.

• Jinhee Wilde

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  USCIS is a fee-based agency, which means they receive fees from the applicants and do not need the appropriation from Congress to operate. Thus, it is still operating through the shutdown, and your interview should proceed as scheduled.

• Marko Issever

  EB-5 Broker Dealer

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  You should be fine. According to the official USCIS website, the EB-5 program will continue to operate. They continue to say that the current lapse in annual appropriated funding for the U.S. government does not affect USCIS' fee-funded activities. Their offices will remain open, and all individuals should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled. USCIS will continue to accept petitions and applications for benefit requests. Some USCIS programs, however, will either expire or suspend operations, or be otherwise affected, until they receive appropriated funds or are reauthorized by Congress. But again, this does not affect the EB-5 program. So please continue to prepare to attend.

• A Olusanjo Omoniyi

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes, you should be prepared to attend the interview as scheduled. Do not second guess the USCIS. The only thing that should change your schedule is a written cancellation notice.

• Charles Foster

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes, you should definitely show up for your interview unless you receive a notice to the contrary. USCIS is funded by filing fees and they should remain open.

• BoBi Ahn

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on January 4, 2019

  Yes, it should still be valid. Our understanding is that USCIS operates on its own funding (from fees, etc.), so when the last government shutdown happened, the USCIS (and IRS) continued to function without any interruption.