Are you worried about the Coronavirus?

Are you worried about the Coronavirus?

Every day we hear about the coronavirus and the mounting death toll, currently number at over 1,100 deaths and over 45,000 people infected worldwide. The vast majority of cases are in mainland China.

USCIS is monitoring the effects of the public health emergency related to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak with respect to agency operations. Thus far, USCIS has temporarily closed its field offices in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Closer to home, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for testing individuals who meet the symptoms for 2019 Coronavirus. The criteria include fever or lower respiratory illness and travel history to Hubei Province, and mainland China within 14 days of symptom onset, and exposure to a laboratory-confirmed 2019 Novel Coronavirus case.

If you have a USCIS appointment in the United States and are feeling symptoms of illness, USCIS instructs the applicant to follow the guidelines on the notice of appointment to reschedule your appointment. There is no penalty if you decide you must reschedule your appointment due to illness. The general symptoms of illness can include the following: fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, headache, sore throat. If you appear at your appointment with symptoms of illness such as these, the officer may reschedule your appointment.

Immediate risk to the American public is considered to be low at this time. The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 420 people under investigation for the virus in 41 states, and of this total,13 have tested positive, 347 have tested negative, and 60 are still pending. The 13 confirmed cases: seven in California, two in Illinois, one in Arizona, one in Wisconsin, one in Massachusetts, and one in Washington state.

For more information, please contact our office for a free telephone consultation (15 minute) at 248-557-3645.

Sevahn Merian

Associate Attorney, Immigration Law Department

The Law Offices of Joumana Kayrouz, PLLC

phone: (248) 557-3645 fax: (248) 200-0645 email: smerian@joumanakayrouz.com

1000 Town Center, Suite 800 Southfield, MI 48075