U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services plans to reopen some field offices for in-person services on or after June 4, almost three months after they were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Offices that reopen will take precautions that include reducing the number of appointments and interviews available to the public to ensure social distancing, allowing time for cleaning, and reducing waiting room occupancy, the agency said Wednesday.
USCIS closed its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers March 18 to help slow the spread of Covid-19. On an average day, the agency says it conducts over 1,400 informational appointments, 7,000 interviews, and fingerprints and photographs 14,000 people at its 88 domestic field offices and 133 application support centers in the U.S.
The agency said visitors may not enter a USCIS facility if they have any symptoms of Covid-19, including cough, fever, or difficulty breathing; have been in close contact with anyone known or suspected to have Covid-19 in the last 14 days; or have been individually directed to self-quarantine or self-isolate by a health-care provider or public health official within the last 14 days.
These new safety guidelines will be included in appointment notices for visitors at USCIS facilities, the agency said.
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