As Pandemic Winds Down, USCIS Ends Extra 60 Days for Responding to RFEs and Other Notices
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on March 23, 2023, that it will end the pandemic-era practice of granting an extra 60 days to respond to certain notices. The article lists eight affected notice types, explains the prior flexibility allowing responses up to 60 days after the stated deadline, and notes the Biden administration's plan to end the COVID-19 emergency in May.
On March 23, USCIS announced that it will end the pandemic-era practice of allowing an extra 60 days to respond to RFEs and similar notices. If you receive any of the following notices from USCIS, you must respond by the deadline stated in the letter:
- Requests for Evidence;
- Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14);
- Notices of Intent to Deny;
- Notices of Intent to Revoke;
- Notices of Intent to Rescind;
- Notices of Intent to Terminate regional centers;
- Notices of Intent to Withdraw Temporary Protected Status; and
- Motions to Reopen an N-400 Pursuant to 8 CFR 335.5, Receipt of Derogatory Information After Grant.
For more than two years, citing inconveniences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS allowed applicants an additional 60 days to respond to such notices. For example, if a letter stated a deadline of March 30, the applicant only needed to respond by the end of May (March 20 + 60 days).
Previously, the Biden administration had indicated that it would end the COVID-19 public health emergency in May.
