The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting USCIS Field Office closures, elimination of the USCIS online Infopass system, USCIS’s alleged financial woes, and resident alien card production delays have created a perfect storm for those in need of proof of status required for the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification requirements. Lawful Permanent Residents seeking to obtain documentation needed to comply with the Form I-9 verification process are experiencing unprecedented delays.
LPRs in need of proof of status to comply with I-9 requirements should first call the USCIS Contact Center at (800) 375-5283 and request an appointment at a USCIS Field Office to obtain a temporary Form I-551 stamp as evidence of lawful permanent resident status. USCIS has indicated they will accept reasons related to employment authorization/verification so long as the foreign national can provide proof of the emergency.
The USCIS Ombudsman are assisting individuals whose applications have been approved but whose cards have not yet been produced, by sending weekly spreadsheets to USCIS to verify card requests are in line to be processed. If you are experiencing a delay in receiving your secure document, you may submit a request for case assistance with the Ombudsman at https://www.dhs.gov/topic/cis-ombudsman/forms/7001.
In situations where there is no other proof of employment authorization that satisfies the Form I-9 requirements and USCIS has refused a request to schedule an Infopass appointment for a Form I-551 stamp, the Department of Justice Immigrant and Employee Rights Section may be able to provide assistance through its hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (the IER worker hotline) or 1-800-255-815 (the IER employer hotline).
<Source: AILA>