US Embassy in Manila to assume ‘limited’ services of USCIS

MANILA, Philippines — The United States (US) Embassy in the Philippines has assured the public that citizenship and immigration-related services will continue despite the upcoming closure of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office in Manila.

In a Twitter post on Tuesday, the US Embassy said it “will assume responsibility for certain limited services previously provided by the Manila USCIS field office.”

READ: US to close Manila field immigration office in July

“All other services will be transitioned to electronic processing or performed domestically in the United States,” it added.

No change in visa processing

“There will be no change in visa processing at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. Immigrant and non-immigrant visa will continue to be processed at the Embassy,” the embassy said.

We are answering some questions about the upcoming closure of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Manila field office. For info on new filing instructions, visit the USCIS website at https://t.co/dC0d9wwrpG pic.twitter.com/wCTgrj6MQe

— U.S. Embassy in the Philippines (@USEmbassyPH) June 11, 2019

Further, the embassy assured that its office, including its consular section, will remain open.

For those planning to file an I-130 petition for a family member, the embassy advised that such petitions must be filed by mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Chicago, Illinois.

Earlier, the USCIS announced a permanent closure of its Manila office effective July 5.

The visa-granting agency no longer accepted petitions and applications for family visa, foreign adoptions and citizenship since May 31.

Those previously assisted by the USCIS Manila Field Office were advised to comply with the new filing instructions posted on the agency’s website at https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/philippines-uscis-manila-field-office . (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)