DHS to Begin Sending Furlough Notices to 15,000 Employees Next Week
I guess USCIS had started preparations, assuming that there will not be additional congressional funding. Federal employees need to be given a 30 day notice. However, if they actually do the furlough, it will definitely bring approvals to a crawl. What's going to happen to people waiting for their interviews to be scheduled?
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/20...t-week/166096/
The furlough notices are expected throughout the ranks of USCIS, the employees with knowledge of the process said. Management officials have been instructed to determine which employees are necessary to continue functioning at 25% capacity. Management has estimated it will run out of funds to operate normally on July 20, and will begin notifying employees 30 days prior to that date as required by law. The furloughs are not expected to all begin on that date.
USCIS employees, their union and other stakeholders have been pushing Congress to address the funding situation. Knowles warned if the furloughs go into effect, the delays and backlog at USCIS “will balloon.” The number of new asylum cases has more than doubled over the last five years and the current backlog is at all-time highs.
Knowles also cautioned the “lasting effect” of the budget crisis could be felt through a workforce with declining morale and, eventually, a brain drain.
“We may lose thousands of employees who say, ‘I can’t afford to be furloughed’ ” and find new work, he said.
Hopefully CO will make a drastic movement of PDs so that pre adjudicated applications can be approved with minimal staff. Just wishful thinking on my part.