As a result of COVID-19, the USCIS has once again issued a notice which extends the time allowed for applicants and petitioners to respond to letters and notices issued by the agency on pending cases.
Under the new policy, an additional 60 calendar days from the deadline date will be given to petitioners and applicants to submit a response to a request or notice issued from March 1st through September 11, 2020, this includes:
• Requests for Evidence
• Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14)
• Notices of Intent to Deny
• Notices of Intent to Revoke
• Notices of Intent to Rescind and Notices of Intent to Terminate regional investment centers
• Filing date requirements for Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings and
• Filing date requirements for Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.
For example, if a USCIS letter is dated March 1, 2020, and has a deadline date of 87 days, due on May 26, 2020, the new deadline for the response will be July 24, 2020.
It is important to note, that responses must be received on or before the deadline, not just postmarked by the deadline date. Also, responses to request for additional evidence should always be mailed in one package, not in multiple response filings, since once the USCIS receives the first response, the officer will usually make a decision based upon that response, not anything received later.
Finally, always send responses, appeals, motions via Fed-Ex or another mail service, overnight.
