Expected Effect Of Government Shutdown On The U.S. Immigration System

Recent news reports have speculated that Republicans and Democrats might not be able to reach agreement on annual spending bills or else a "Continuing Resolution" that would keep the government funded after the end of the current fiscal year (September 30, just two weeks away).

While it is still too soon to know whether a shutdown will happen and how long it will last if it does, we are aware that clients may be concerned about the effect of a shutdown on immigration processing. Each time the federal government has experienced a shutdown, the exact plan for which agencies continue to provide services and which will suspend services has varied between Administrations. Based on prior shutdowns, however, the following is an overview of how the shutdown will likely affect various processes.