US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) this week announced that the agency will cancel an administrative furlough of more than 13,000 employees that was scheduled to begin August 30. In a statement, USCIS said that they expect to be able to maintain operations through the end of fiscal year 2020 (on September 30), although Joseph Edlow, USCIS Deputy Director for Policy, noted that “averting this furlough comes at a severe operational cost that will increase backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid future furloughs.” He added: “A return to normal operating procedures requires congressional intervention to sustain the agency through fiscal year 2021.”