At times, the immigration process might feel prolonged for those who are ready to make Louisiana their new home. A recent decision concerning U.S. immigration law could make the wait times for some people even longer. In the near future, the locations of dozens of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in foreign countries could close.
The move is apparently financially motivated, which is estimated to save the government millions of dollars every year. While it might look good for the government’s bottom line, some are arguing that the decision to close these international immigration offices will cause more headaches than anything else. In particular, it could complicate and significantly slow down the process for seeking refugee status.
A spokeswoman from the USCIS announced that some of the agency’s international responsibilities could be taken on by the Department of State. Some U.S. embassies or international consulates might also be tasked with taking on the extra workload of processing refugees. However, it is unclear whether these other agencies and offices will have the capacity to take over the workload left behind by closed USCIS international offices.
Even if consulates and embassies have the manpower to handle the workload, there could still be other issues. International USCIS offices have experienced officials who perform specialized functions. Without these experts there to guide refugees and other immigrants through a complicated process, matters could become very complicated very quickly.
Wading through U.S. immigration law alone can be an overwhelming process. However, those who are hoping to immigrate to Louisiana do not have to take on the burden of filing applications and documents all by themselves. In many cases, the careful guidance of an experienced attorney can help these individuals submit the best application possible.