U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Wednesday it will make special measures available on a discretionary basis for those affected by wildfires in California.

Key points:

  • Special measures—including changes of status, extensions of status, expedited processing of service or benefit requests, replacement of damaged green cards or other documents, fee waivers, re-parole of people who were previously granted parole, and other benefits—may be available on a case-by-case basis to people affected by the California wildfires.
  • Individuals making a request should be prepared to explain how their request is related to the fires. Those in need of help can visit the USCIS Contact Center website for additional information.
  • As of Wednesday, all USCIS field offices in California were open. Applicants who missed appointments because of the fires are reminded that some appointments are automatically rescheduled, while others must be rescheduled by the applicant. Generally, appointments for interviews and/or biometrics are automatically rebooked. However, InfoPass or other appointments must be rescheduled by the applicant. Information about how to reschedule appointments is available on this USCIS website under “Rescheduling Appointments at Field Offices, International Offices and Application Support Centers.”
  • USCIS noted that all Form I-9 requirements remain in effect. Those who had documents lost, damaged or stolen because of the fires are encouraged to review the list of Form I-9 acceptable documents and can visit I-9 Central for more information.

BAL Analysis: Those in need of immigration services, who missed an appointment or had documents damaged because of the California wildfires can contact the appropriate government office or BAL for assistance.

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

Copyright © 2018 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.