At the end of March, the immigration office completely suspended green card interviews due to the COVID-19 situation. As COVID-19 began to ease, interviews and public services resumed on June 4. Since then, green card interviews have been conducted intermittently.

Each state's field office has implemented interviews in slightly different ways. The Newark office in New Jersey, which used to conduct about 40 to 50 interviews a day, is now processing only about five cases daily. This indicates how much longer the green card process may be delayed in the future.

In early August, I visited the Newark field office with a client for an employment-based immigration interview. In the past, there would be long lines outside the immigration building regardless of the season, but on this day, there were hardly any people around the building. Upon arriving at the entrance, a security staff member asked about our purpose, and after showing the interview notice, we were allowed to enter. Before COVID-19, we had to remove our shoes and outer coats to pass through security, but now we only needed to remove our belts and place our belongings in a tray. There was no one in the elevator going up to the interview waiting room on the 14th floor, and no one was waiting for the elevator either. It seemed that the flow of people and schedules were adjusted to prevent encounters among individuals, except for the staff on duty. There were no people waiting in the interview waiting room. Chairs were clearly marked with yellow tape to ensure that individuals sat more than six feet apart. Only one person was seated at the check-in window to verify those arriving for interviews and issue notices.

In the past, a one-hour wait was common, but after checking in, I was called by the immigration officer in less than five minutes. The immigration staff rooms in the hallway leading to the interview room were mostly empty. It appeared that not all staff were working, but only a portion of them were present. In the interview room, the usual procedure of taking fingerprints and photos was skipped, and we were only asked to take an oath to answer truthfully. However, this self-identification procedure was still being implemented in other state field offices despite the COVID-19 situation.

Previously, if interpretation was needed during an interview, the immigration office would connect to a phone interpretation service, but now such services are not being provided. Therefore, the accompanying attorney must either interpret temporarily or bring someone to interpret.

The interview duration varies by case, but if there are issues, the interview proceeds as densely as before. There are no special considerations or simplifications for interviews due to COVID-19.

Since the Newark office is conducting fewer than five interviews daily, it is important to attend on the scheduled date without postponement when an interview is scheduled. Additionally, to ensure all documents can be submitted during the interview, it is advisable to check the documents that need to be submitted in advance and bring any additional documents that may be necessary to expedite the processing time after the interview.

Bongseob Moon, Attorney  
Law Offices of Bongseob Moon, LLC  
2180 Center Ave., Suite 1, Fort Lee, NJ 07024  
☎ (203) 974-3939, (201) 661-4422  
Fax. (203) 604-0601  
(Practice in NY, NJ, CT)  
www.themoonlaws.com