USCIS offices close in parts of Florida as Hurricane Irma approaches

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices in Florida closed Thursday as Hurricane Irma moved its way across the Caribbean toward the U.S.

Key points:

• USCIS closed field offices and application support centers Thursday in Fort Myers, Hialeah, Miami, Oakland Park and West Palm Beach. Offices in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa will close Friday. USCIS offices in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were also closed or operated with minimum staffing Thursday. An up-to-date list of all USCIS closings is available on this website.
• Visa applicants with appointments at offices that are closed are reminded that some appointments are automatically rescheduled, while others must be rescheduled by the applicant. Generally, appointments for interviews and for biometrics are automatically rebooked, but InfoPass or other appointments must be rescheduled. Information about how to reschedule appointments is available on this USCIS website.
• The USCIS field office in Houston, Texas remained closed Thursday after the Houston area saw massive flooding related to Hurricane Harvey last week. The Houston office is expected to reopen next week. USCIS has made certain special measures available on a case-by-case basis for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

BAL Analysis: Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, is expected to make landfall in Florida Sunday morning. Additional USCIS office closings are all but a certainty. BAL will continue to follow the immigration impacts of the hurricane and will provide updated information as needed.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact BerryApplemanLeiden@bal.com.

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