Naturalization ceremonies are being canceled due to the shutdown, but participants are not being warned.

When fifteen people entered the U.S. immigration office in Virginia on October 11, these individuals, born in various parts of the world, were happily anticipating the final step on their path to American citizenship. However, an unpleasant surprise awaited them. Leila Kodabakshi, one of the citizenship applicants, recounts Air force about what she had to go through.

We held our naturalization notices in our hands, passed through security, and lined up at the registration desk. Soon, we had to raise our right hands and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States. It was a rather solemn and festive ceremony: holding small American flags, we were supposed to emerge as citizens.

But suddenly we learned that the ceremony was cancelled due to the government shutdown.

'You should have been notified,' said the receptionist.

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None of us received any emails or phone calls. The staff at the entrance let us in without warning, suggesting they hadn't been informed themselves.

Later, when I went to the USCIS website, it was not working.

When it came back online, I saw that my appointment had been cancelled a few days ago 'due to unforeseen circumstances.' If I hadn't checked the website, I wouldn't have known about it.

"We regret any inconvenience this may cause," the notice said.

In the office, disappointment quickly gave way to confusion.

The woman in the hijab was worried that her and my clothes could cause a refusal.

The man, who gathered his family to celebrate receiving citizenship, left feeling nervous and uncertain.

Some looked genuinely scared, unsure how the delay would affect their work, lives and plans.

It was much more than just an inconvenience.

Some of us spent years filling out paperwork, going through interviews, and preparing for the citizenship test. After living with a green card for over a decade, I decided to become a citizen and vote. Now we all find ourselves in limbo.

The office told us to come back on November 1st. But with the ongoing shutdown, it's possible that this date will also be postponed.

The Immigration Service is primarily funded by application fees and generally continues to operate during a government shutdown.

However, its director, Joseph Edlow, wrote in X that public services, such as interviews and naturalization ceremonies, may be postponed. He added that the agency "regrets the negative consequences, but is obligated to comply with the law."

It's unclear how many meetings or swearing-in ceremonies across the country have been canceled. The service publishes a list of closed field offices on its website, but does not provide an overall figure for the number of canceled ceremonies. Anecdotal reports of canceled swearing-in ceremonies have surfaced online.

It also remains unknown when the government will resume work.

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Republicans and Democrats have been unable to agree on government funding since October 1, leading to a government shutdown that has left more than 700 federal workers on unpaid leave.

Add to this the numerous changes in US immigration policy over the past nine months, and the anxiety among those seeking citizenship is only growing. The consequences of the impasse in Washington are affecting the daily lives (and perhaps the future) of those hoping to call the US their permanent home.

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