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When Will the USCIS Bangkok Office Cease Operations?
Transcript of the above video:
As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing recent announcements with respect to USCIS and the announcement that they will be shuttering certain offices abroad; closing them down between now and March of 2020.
In a reason article from BuzzFeed, the article is titled the Trump Administration has Set Projected Dates for Closing Foreign Immigration Offices. Quoting directly, "The Trump Administration has set target dates for closing all International Offices of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency, including some that are scheduled to shutter within a few months according to sources with knowledge of the plans. The more than 20 offices abroad are slated to begin shuttering as soon as June 30th 2019 starting with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and then Manila in the Philippines just a few days after that." To cease quoting for a moment just to comment on the Philippines. It is my understanding that they are no longer accepting cases; locally filed I-130s for example, being processed through that service center or through that field office I should say at that post down in the Philippines. So as a practical matter for those who were looking to do local filings abroad, Manila, Philippines is no longer an option as they have already ceased accepting filings. Quoting further, "In September, the Monterey, Mexico office is projected to close as well as the station in Seoul, South Korea. By the end of January 2020, the majority of the offices including those in Mexico City, London, Athens and Guatemala City are slated to cease operations. All offices including the main district office for the offices for the separate regions are scheduled to close by March 10th, 2020."
So something to keep in mind - Bangkok is one of those district offices so I think it's safe to presume it will be one of the last to actually close because presumably they are going to be dealing with various things associated with the logistical details of getting their operations transferred back into the domestic United States. But again it remains to be seen. I think it is fairly safe to presume with respect to Bangkok we are at least looking at March but that being said exactly when they will cease as a practical matter to accept certain kinds of petitions and applications prior to their actual closure remains to be seen. So we will keep you updated on this channel as things progress.