
At a glance
Over the weekend, Congress passed a minibus spending package that will fund several federal agencies – including immigration agencies – through September 30, 2024, and President Biden signed the bill into law.
The issue
A matter of hours after funding for several agencies expired at 12:01 am ET on Saturday, March 23, the U.S. Senate passed and President Biden signed a set of six appropriations bills that fund the agencies through September 30, 2024. The impacted agencies include the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Labor, and State. The U.S. House of Representatives had passed the bill on Friday, March 22, starting the legislative process.
Because the agencies were without funding for only a matter of hours on Saturday, their operations were not disrupted. The agencies will continue to function without funding interruption through September 30, 2024, the end of FY 2024.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
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