Agency plans to restore 500 jobs cut in Kansas City region

A federal immigration agency says it plans to restore 500 jobs in the Kansas City region that were cut last year.

The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service laid off 800 workers last year because of budget concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency has a National Benefits Center in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and Overland Park, Kansas. Employees process immigration-related paperwork, including international adoptions.

The agency is funded by fees on immigration applications. It blamed last year's layoff on a decline in immigration activity during the pandemic. Some of the jobs had been restored in December.