In December 2021, President Biden signed a short-term funding
bill to keep the U.S. government running
through Feb. 18, 2022. This short-term funding bill helped avert
impacts within the country's immigration system.
The prospects of a government shutdown looms if Congress does
not reach a long-term funding agreement by Feb. 18, 2022.
Previous government shutdowns can inform how stakeholders may
prepare for potential delays to immigration processing if there is
a shutdown in February or beyond.
Does a Government Shutdown Affect Immigration?
In the past, government shutdowns typically have had
a minor impact on the operations of agencies that are fee-funded,
such as U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the
Department of State. Moreover, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were considered
essential and as such, they continued operating during prior
government shutdowns.
