OPT Cap-Gap Extensions
The current H1B cap-filing season for fiscal year (FY) 2017 gives rise to questions about optional practical training (OPT) extensions. MurthyDotCom readers have raised concerns about coordinating H1B...
View ArticleAfter Denial of PERM: Reconsideration, Appeal, or Re-File?
Originally published December 31, 2010, this MurthyDotCom NewsBrief has been updated for our readers. The PERM labor certification process is lengthy and complex. While many receive good news at the...
View ArticleOmbudsman Report on Suggested Improvements for USCIS
Every year, the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman submits a report to the U.S. Congress on the state of immigration services within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This...
View ArticleGreen Card Receipt after Spouse Signs Abandonment – Success
The Murthy Law Firm successfully represented a lawful permanent resident (LPR or "green card" holder) whose immigration records wrongly reflected that she had voluntarily abandoned her green card...
View ArticleAugust 2016 Visa Bulletin: Family Categories
Although most of the focus on the visa bulletin released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) each month is reserved for the employment-based (EB) categories, the monthly visa bulletin also provides...
View ArticleCBP on Global Entry for UK Citizens: Pilot Program Completed
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues its careful expansion of Global Entry, an international trusted traveler program. Effective July 12, 2016, any British citizen, holding a valid...
View ArticleAugust 2016 Visa Bulletin: Explanations and Predictions
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), through Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides monthly visa bulletin insights and predictions. The information provided this...
View ArticleE-Verify Deactivation for Dormant Accounts Began Aug 1, 2016
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has issued a reminder to employers enrolled in the E-Verify program that, as of August 1, 2016, such employers must log into their respective...
View ArticleSchools Cannot Issue I-20s for Conditional Students
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued final policy guidance on July 13, 2016, regarding foreign national students admitted on a tentative or conditional basis. In short, the guidance...
View ArticleProvisional Waivers of Unlawful Presence Expanded
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded the availability of provisional waivers of unlawful presence. Effective August 29, 2016, provisional waiver requests may be filed in...
View ArticleSeptember 2016 Visa Bulletin: EB3 India Advances to February 2005
There is little-to-no movement of cutoff dates for the vast majority of categories in the September 2016 Visa Bulletin, which was released this afternoon by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). However,...
View ArticleMotions to Reopen / Reconsider and Appeal
In some cases, it is possible to challenge a denial decision made by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on an application or petition for an immigration benefit. This challenge is...
View ArticleOverview of September 2016 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued the September 2016 Visa Bulletin, which is the final visa bulletin of fiscal year 2016 (FY16). This visa bulletin is largely unchanged from the previous month...
View ArticleNewsFlash! Publication of Proposed Rule for Certain Foreign National...
On August 24, 2016, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) concluded its review of a proposed rule designed to allow the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to parole (i.e. grant temporary...
View ArticleProviding Clarity on the Visa Bulletin Dual Chart System
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) visa bulletin changed to a dual chart system as of the October 2015 Visa Bulletin. Almost a year since this change went into effect, however, there continues to be a...
View ArticleNewsFlash! Details of Proposed International Entrepreneur Program Released!
Earlier today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released details of a proposed rule that “…would allow certain international entrepreneurs to be considered for parole (temporary...
View ArticleRequirements to Vote in U.S. Elections
Many MurthyDotCom readers have applied for or obtained naturalized U.S. citizenship. The opportunity to participate in the 2016 presidential election will be the first time many of these new citizens...
View ArticleUSCIS Answering General Questions via Twitter
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun using Twitter as a mechanism to answer general questions from the public. While not a substitute for legal or case-specific guidance,...
View ArticleChinese Nationals with 10-Year B-1/B-2s Subject to EVUS
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released information on the initiation of an Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS). EVUS is designed to allow those enrolled in the program to update the...
View ArticleNonimmigrants Hiring Foreign Domestic Attendants
Originally posted 18.Jul.2003, this MurthyDotCom NewsBrief remains relevant, and is published again 07.Sep.2016 as a reminder to our readers. The use of domestic workers, such as live-in maids or...
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