The Impact of COVID-19 on Immigration Processing

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Shutdown of International Borders

Disruption of Immigration Processes

When COVID-19 struck, it led to a complete shutdown of international borders and, in many ways, the entire immigration process. USCIS officers who manage adjustment of status cases and Consular Officers who manage consular processing cases abroad could not go into work, leading to a significant backlog of cases.

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Growing Visa Interview Backlogs

State Department Statistics

U.S. State Department embassies and consulates abroad have seen their visa interview backlogs grow from 75,000 at the start of 2020 to 473,000 by February of this year, according to Consular Affairs Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services Julie M. Stufft at a briefing.

Causes of the Backlog

The ballooning backlogs are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and closures that were necessary to protect staff and the public, both in the U.S. and overseas, according to the agencies responsible for adjudicating applications and issuing documents.

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Challenges for the Biden Administration

Addressing the After-Effects

What the Biden administration is facing right now is figuring out how to deal with all of those after-effects of both COVID-19 and President Trump’s push to slow down immigration.

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Efforts to Reopen and Recover

State Department and USCIS Progress

The State Department is pushing for a re-opening of consular sections, and USCIS is gradually moving forward, but it will take time.

Ongoing Challenges

New variants of COVID-19, a slow vaccine rollout for most of the world, and loosening restrictions have led to a potential 4th COVID-19 wave, which will hamper the ability of USCIS or the State Department to immediately issue visas and deal with its backlog of cases.