Which immigrant-serving agencies are affected by the closing

Much of the federal government's activities have ceased to function due to the failure of the U.S. Congress to pass an annual budget.

On the immigration front, not all immigrant-serving agencies have been affected. Below I explain how the major immigrant-serving agencies are being affected:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

CBP operations will generally not be affected. This includes patrolling all U.S. border crossing points.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

ICE operations will generally not be affected. This includes the detention and deportation of individuals who have violated immigration laws.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

All USCIS offices that process applications for immigration benefits are open. All those with appointments and interviews should go to them.

The Office of the USCIS Ombudsman is not operating. The primary mission of this office is to monitor the activities of USCIS to ensure that the services provided to the public are the best possible.

The E-Verify system is not working. Employers still need to abide by the corresponding regulations related to the hiring of individuals, including the completion of the Form I-9 within the first three days of the new employee's employment.

The USCIS website will not be updated during the lapse in federal government funding.

Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Board of Immigration Appeals

The Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) only will be processing cases of detained individuals. In addition, the BIA will be processing emergency stay of removal requests and related activities such as bond applications.

U.S. Department of State

The activities of the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs will not be affected. This includes the issuance of U.S. visas and passports.

Some federal offices where passports are issued could be affected if the buildings where they are located are not adequately staffed to provide daily building maintenance.

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification (Office of Foreign Labor Certification)

The Office of Alien Labor Certification is not functioning. This office has several functions including processing labor certification applications for foreign workers.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

SSA is not offering all of its services to the public. For example, SSA is not issuing new Social Security cards and is not replacing lost or stolen Social Security or Medicare cards.