Pilot Program for eMail Corrections of Online I-94 Cards
Historically, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been available to make corrections on I-94s issued at U.S. ports of entry that contain errors. Many such requests for correction are...
View ArticleUSCIS Moves Cases to Distribute Workloads
From time to time, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) internally reassigns pending cases by moving them from one USCIS service center to another. These case transfers are an effort...
View ArticleNewsFlash! H1B Amendments Required to Move Workers
The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) released a precedent decision today, April 9, 2015, requiring employers to file amended H1B petitions for changes in employment location. The AAO determined that...
View ArticleOPT Cap-Gap Extensions
The completion of the H1B cap-filing season for fiscal year (FY) 2016 gives rise to questions about optional practical training (OPT) extensions. MurthyDotCom readers have raised concerns about...
View ArticleNewsFlash! H1B Cap Lottery Completed for FY 2016
On April 13, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced completion of the H1B cap lottery selection processes. The USCIS reported receipt of almost 233,000 H1B petitions,...
View ArticleNewsFlash! EB2 India and China Move Forward, EB3 Philippines Moves Backwards
This afternoon, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the May 2015 Visa Bulletin. As expected, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for people born in India and China continues...
View ArticleH1B Cap Lottery Update for FY16
On April 13, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the completion of the H1B random lottery process for fiscal year 2016 (FY16). As previously noted, the total count of...
View ArticleAAO to Consider Individuals’ Rights in AC21 Cases
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) has issued a notice requesting amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs on a topic that is of tremendous...
View ArticleH1B Amendment Required for Most Worksite Changes
On April 9, 2015, the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) issued a precedent decision that is expected to prompt many H1B employers to change some long-held practices. The case, Matter of Simeio...
View ArticleMay 2015 Visa Bulletin: EB2 India and China Continue to Advance
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the May 2015 Visa Bulletin. The cutoff date for the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India advances yet again, to April 15, 2008....
View ArticleAAO Broadens Definition of “Doing Business” for EB1(c), Multinational...
The administrative appeals office (AAO) issued a precedent decision on April 9, 2015, that addresses a key requirement for the employment-based, first preference (EB1) immigrant visa (i.e. green card)...
View ArticleH1B Worker’s Ownership Interest in Petitioner Must Be Disclosed
Beginning May 1, 2015, stakeholders must begin using a revised version of the H classification supplement (form I-129), which specifically asks whether the beneficiary of the H1B petition has an...
View ArticleNewsFlash! Lawsuit Filed to Block H-4 EAD Rule, but No Cause for Panic
A group of former employees of Southern California Edison have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to try to block the new regulation that is scheduled to allow qualifying...
View ArticleOverview of L1B Policy Memo
On March 24, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a long-awaited L1B draft guidance memorandum that outlines the elements of the L1B category and primarily focuses on a...
View ArticleAnalysis, Predictions and Trends: May 2015 Visa Bulletin
Regular readers of the MurthyBulletin are aware that Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), provides monthly explanations of visa...
View ArticleUSCIS Expects to Answer FAQs Related to H-4 EAD Rule “Shortly”
Many questions have arisen regarding the new regulation that will allow certain H-4 spouses to apply for employment authorization documents (EADs). Some of these questions still do not have clear...
View ArticleNewsFlash! USCIS Completes Data Entry Process for Petitions Selected in H1B...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a news alert this afternoon, noting that the agency has "…completed data entry of all fiscal year 2016 H1B cap-subject petitions selected…"...
View ArticleReceipts, RFEs, and Approvals of FY16 H1B Cap Cases
Many are still anxiously awaiting the outcome of petitions filed against the fiscal year 2016 (FY16) H1B cap. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced completion of the lottery...
View ArticleUpdate from Department of State on Visa-Related Issues
Officials with the U.S. Department of State (DOS) met with representatives from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) on April 15, 2015, to discuss various topics related to visas. Some...
View ArticleUSCIS Makes it Easier to ‘Find a Doctor’ for Immigration Medical Exams
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched an improved online tool, aptly named Find a Doctor, to assist applicants for permanent residence (commonly, "green card") find doctors...
View Article