3 Reasons USCIS Might Cancel Your Interview

While USCIS can and does approve some green card petitions without an interview, most green cards will require them, as will adjustment of status cases. The immigration process takes long enough that it can be intensely frustrating—and scary—to get a letter saying that your interview has been postponed.

Fortunately, a cancelled or rescheduled interview isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast: USCIS is backlogged and overwhelmed with cases, and nothing in the process moves fast. At other times, the cancellation is cause for concern.

There are usually three reasons why an interview gets cancelled.

#1) Sometimes they’re just disorganized.

If you started your immigration case in one state and then moved to another state then your file, or parts of your file, might not have arrived at the local office yet. They may still be coordinating with the other field office to get all of your details in front of them.

They’ve also been known to do weird things like scheduling interviews on federal holidays, only to cancel it later when they notice the mistake. Remember that the people working at these offices are just people, and they are not perfect.

#2) The immigration officer isn’t available.

USCIS is understaffed just about like everyone else, and sometimes they just don’t have enough personnel to conduct the interview or to cover your case. 

Sometimes your case officer calls in sick as well, which is of course a normal, human thing to have happen. 

#3) USCIS has decided it wants to do more investigation.

Sometimes officers start reading through your file or existing application and discover that they want to look into your case a little bit more. They’ve seen something that has given them cause for concern.

If you think this is the reason why your appointment has been cancelled, then you should reach out to an immigration attorney if you don’t have one already. You might want a lawyer to look at your case to figure out what’s worrying USCIS so that you can shore up your case and so you can be ready to meet any objections or concerns that the immigration attorney might have. 

What to Do If Your Interview’s Been Cancelled

Often your rescheduling or cancellation interview will tell you what the issue is. Read the letter carefully for guidance on what to do. At times there’s little to do but to wait. Sometimes USCIS will get around to sending you a new letter with a new interview date. 

If you’re not sure what your case status is or whether it’s in danger, reach out to Hykel Law today. We can help you make sense of your immigration case and take the steps you need to take to bring it to a positive conclusion. 

See also:

What Does It Mean to Get a Second USCIS Interview?

Can You Move During Your Immigration Case?

What Is a Notice of Intent to Revoke?