Over 10,000 employees could be furloughed at Immigration Services agency
The American Federation of Government Employees, a union for federal workers, reported today that close to 11,000 employees could be furloughed in the coming weeks, unless Congress agrees to the union's pleas for an additional $1.2 billion in funding for the fee-based agency. The agency has seen a sharp decline in revenue due to decreased visa applications, as well as an increased backlog of unprocessed applications due to policy changes that have led to lead officers spending more time on complicated cases. Employers who rely on foreign workers will be heavily impacted as slow processing times may lead to employers being unable to onboard workers and pre-verify employment authorization - leading to more unemployment.
See "Over 10,000 employees could be furloughed at Immigration Services agency", Genevieve Douglas, Bloomberg Law, May 29, 2020