Problems Reported With Emergency ‘Satisfactory Departure’ Requests

According to reports, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has told some practitioners that the ability to grant multiple “satisfactory departure” requests ended in April but acknowledged that the agency’s public website has not yet been updated. The website still says that “if an emergency (such as COVID-19) prevents the departure of a VWP [Visa Waiver Program] entrant, USCIS in its discretion may grant a period of satisfactory departure for up to 30 days.” For those who were already granted satisfactory departure but were unable to depart within the 30-day period because of COVID-19-related issues, “USCIS has the authority to temporarily provide an additional 30-day period of satisfactory departure. To request satisfactory departure from USCIS, a VWP entrant should call the USCIS Contact Center,” the website says.

Practitioners state that this issue has been raised with USCIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection liaisons.

Related Link:

• “USCIS Response to COVID-19” (scroll to “Extension of Stay/Change of Status Filing Delays Caused by Extraordinary Circumstances Related to COVID-19”)