Citizenship Oath Ceremonies in San Francisco Bay Area Cancelled for March in Response to COVID-19

In response to restrictions on large gatherings by the City of Oakland and Santa Clara County, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) San Francisco and San Jose Field Offices have cancelled the citizenship Oath Ceremonies scheduled for March. Citizenship candidates will receive new notices rescheduling their Oath Ceremony.

For citizenship cases adjudicated at the San Francisco Field Office, the Oath Ceremony scheduled for March 18th at Oakland Paramount Theatre has been cancelled. Candidates will be rescheduled for another Oath Ceremony within the next 30 days. The Oath Ceremony will either take place at the USCIS San Francisco Field Office or at the Paramount Theatre. USCIS is requesting candidates to not bring any guests to the ceremony unless assistance is needed because of a physical, mental, or developmental disability or impairment, or if there is a need for an interpreter to be present.

For citizenship cases adjudicated at the San Jose Field Office, the Oath Ceremony scheduled for March has been cancelled. The USCIS is currently looking for an alternate venue for the Oath Ceremony due to Santa Clara County’s restrictions in response to COVID-19.

As stated in our previous alerts, the USCIS is requesting applicants who are ill for any reason regardless of whether the applicant has been exposed to COVID-19, to reschedule their appointments and to not appear at the local Field Office. This includes green card interviews, biometrics appointments, and citizenship Oath Ceremonies. The USCIS San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento and Fresno Field Offices will be granting a liberal reschedule policy at this time for any applicant who is sick. Applicants can reschedule appointments without penalty. Appointment notices contain instructions to reschedule appointments by calling the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283. Our clients should contact our office for assistance.