With the looming uncertainty around the world, one of the leading US immigration agencies, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could run out of money by the end of summer because of a budget shortfall amounting to $1.2 billion.
The USCIS has already asked Congress for a $1.2 billion bailout to keep them functioning. The agency further reported that they are likely going to come forth and run out of money by the end of summer because of the lack of immigration happening because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Unlike majority of the federal agencies, USCIS doesn’t receive any of the taxpayer’s money and is solely dependent on the fees associated with the immigration formalities for green cards, visas, work permits, citizenships and humanitarian rights.
The pandemic has already affected their revenue generation and with the executive order in place, it is likely going to experience an even further hit. The applications in this organisation are estimated to drop by 61% by September.
In order to mitigate this budget shortfall, USCIS is also planning on increasing their charges by 10% on the applications and also seek aid from Congress for funding. The agency has also limited spending to salary along with some of the mission critical activities. USCIS has been reportedly working on drastic measures to keep the agency operational.
Why is there a funding shortfall for USCIS?
Over the past two months because of Covid-19, the immigration has come to a complete standstill. The Trump administration has shut all the USCIS offices and even closed all the consulates abroad. The country has also shut down the borders with Mexico and Canada, further causing a rift in the immigration process.
In addition to that, the 60-days ban on the issuance of the green cards further is a contributing factor to the lack of funds that the organisation has.
The asylum processing at the southern border has also been stopped, which again is a contributing factor to the lack of available funds.
Even though the Trump administration has cited Covid-19 as a possible reason behind the condition of the lack of immigration, this is something that he has always been on the lookout for all this while.
Trump has also railed against the issuance of the chain migration wherein the migrant families can sponsor the visa for a relative or friend. Not just that, Trump has also tried to keep the poor immigrants out by proposing to reject the ones that don’t have a health insurance or the ones who might use public benefits in the future.
USCIS is yet to release their data regarding the number of applications that they have received since the start of the pandemic. But, they have revealed the fact that the applications are on a decline.
The incoming applications dipped in the month of March in comparison to last year when it comes to the temporary categories of visas and the individuals transferring because of their jobs. The applications further plunged in the month of April when the Trump administration further announced restrictions on the immigration.
The budget shortfall for USCIS is likely going to get worse as Trump decides to impose further restrictions on the immigration in the coming days. The NY Times has reported that the Trump administration is planning on barring the issuance of some of the temporary work visa including the H-1B visa along with the H-2B visa.
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