USCIS Delay in Issuing Work Permits and Green Cards

In June, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) significantly reduced its capacity to produce documents such as Legal Permanent Resident Cards (green cards) and Employment Authorization Documents (work permits).  Thousands of individuals have not received their physical cards despite their applications having been approved.  As a result, many people are facing job losses and/or are unable to comply with their obligation to always carry their green card with them as required by law.  USCIS ended its contract with the company that produced the cards and due to budget shortfalls and hiring freezes, it has been unable to have USCIS employees take over the work of making the secure documents.  USCIS admits that approximately 50,000 green cards and 75,000 work permits that had already been approved have not been printed and sent to applicants.  The only way immigrants have been successful in getting their cards in a reasonable period of time after approval is by suing USCIS in federal court to force the production of their cards.

With the impending furlough of thousands of USCIS employees, this issue is not likely to resolve any time soon.

If you or someone you know has applied and been approved for either a green card or work permit and has been waiting an extended period of time for your card, contact Joseph & Hall.