On May 27, 2021, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a revised visitor policy that relaxes some COVID-19 precautions. Based on updated guidance from the CDC, fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear a face covering inside a USCIS office or facility. To be considered fully vaccinated, two weeks must have passed since receiving a single-dose vaccine or the second dose of a two-dose vaccine series.
Inside spaces controlled by a U.S. government agency, federal government guidance supersedes any state, local, or tribal rules and regulations regarding face coverings. In addition to uncovered faces, fully vaccinated individuals are permitted to enter USCIS facilities even if they have returned from air or cruise ship travel within the preceding 10 days or have been in close contact with anyone known to have COVID-19 in the preceding 14 days, provided the fully vaccinated individuals do not have any COVID-19 systems at the time they visit USCIS.
Children over age 2 who are not fully vaccinated are still required to wear an approved face covering when entering a U.S. facility. Social distancing measures also remain in place, as do restrictions on who may accompany applicants to an appointment and who may attend naturalization ceremonies.
USCIS encourages applicants who feel sick to avoid USCIS offices. There is no penalty for rescheduling an appointment due to illness, including side effects from the vaccines, but applications should call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) as soon as possible to reschedule.
