The extended grace period covers all requests issued between March 1 and Sep 11, 2020.
With life still in disarray in an America reeling under covid-19 pandemic, USCIS has further extended the 60 day grace period for responding to its requests until September.
In a major relief to all Indian and other immigrants from H-1B holders to green card seekers to those hoping to become US citizens, US Citizenship and Immigration Services Wednesday extended the flexibilities it announced on March 30 due to covid-19.
The immigration agency said it was “adopting several measures to protect our workforce and community and to minimize the immigration consequences for those seeking immigration benefits during this time.”
USCIS will consider a response to several types of requests and notices received within 60 calendar days after the response due date set in the request or notice before taking any action, it said.
The 60 day grace period applies to the listed documents if the issuance date listed on the request, notice or decision is between March 1 and Sep. 11, 2020, inclusive.
USCIS said it was taking the action in response to the coronavirus pandemic to assist applicants and petitioners responding to these requests:
- Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);
- Notices of Intent to Deny;
- Notices of Intent to Revoke;
- Notices of Intent to Rescind and Notices of Intent to Terminate regional investment centers;
- Filing date requirements for Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings (Under Section 336 of the INA); or
- Filing date requirements for Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.
USCIS said it will consider a response to the these requests and notices received within 60 calendar days after the response due date set in the request or notice before taking any action.
In another announcement, the agency said to celebrate America’s July 4 Independence Day, it was prioritizing naturalization ceremonies during the covid-19 pandemic with events across the US from July 1 through July 7.
USCIS began to conduct limited naturalization ceremonies in May and began to fully resume ceremonies in early June, after temporarily pausing in-person services to mitigate the spread of covid-19.
The ceremonies have been shorter to limit exposure to those in attendance, incorporating social distancing and other safety precautions that protect the health and safety of applicants and USCIS staff, it said.
USCIS said it has naturalized approximately 64,500 new citizens over the past month and anticipates completing nearly all postponed administrative naturalization ceremonies by the end of July.
The agency also encouraged applicants to file their Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, online. To file online, individuals must first create a USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov.
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