On October 1, 2013, the U.S. Government shut down many of its non-essential services due to the lack of consensus on the government’s spending.  Most immigration services will not be affected by the shutdown.  All USCIS offices worldwide are open and are continuing operations during the shutdown.  This means that cases can continue to be filed and cases already pending will continue to be adjudicated.  The Executive Office of Immigration Review, casually known as “immigration court,” will continue working on detained cases.  Hearings on non-detained cases are suspended nationwide.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) detention and enforcement operations are continuing as normal.  Department of State (“DOS”) will continue its passport and visa operations as well as provide critical visa services to U.S. citizens overseas.  The Department of Homeland Security’s website will not be actively managed, so news may not be current on DHS’ site.  Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) continues to operate all ports of entry, so travel should continue as normal.  This post will be updated if there are any changes in the immigration services affected by the U.S. government shutdown.