USCIS Provides Clarification on In-Person Interview Requirement in EB I-485...
In August 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it would expand the use of in-person interviews for adjustment-of-status (form I-485) applicants in employment-based...
View ArticleSource of Investment Funds for EB5 Cases
A key requirement of the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant visa category is that the foreign national investor be able to clearly and thoroughly document the lawful source of the...
View ArticleFY19 DV Lottery Registration Period Restarted, Effective 18.Oct.2017
The entry period for the fiscal year 2019 (FY19) diversity visa (DV) lottery has been restarted, effective October 18, 2017, due to technical difficulties that arose with the registration system....
View ArticleTexas Service Center Still Denying Advance Parole Applications Based on...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Texas Service Center (TSC) is still denying advance parole (AP) applications (form I-131) for applicants who travel abroad before their AP...
View ArticleNew Filing Location for Form I-129 Based on Employer’s Primary Location
Effective immediately, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) filing address for a petition for a nonimmigrant worker (form I-129) will be determined based on the state where the...
View ArticleNovember 2017 Visa Bulletin Check-In: Disturbing EB3 India Revelation
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. The information for the...
View ArticleNo USCIS Deference to Prior Petition Approvals for Nonimmigrants
On October 23, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum affecting most nonimmigrant workers. This new policy memorandum rescinds a 2004 policy memo and...
View ArticleNewsFlash! U.S. Consulates in Turkey Resume Processing of Nonimmigrant Visas
Effective immediately, the U.S. Mission to Turkey is resuming limited visa services for nonimmigrants at the U.S. embassy and consulates in Turkey. According to a statement issued by the U.S. Mission...
View ArticleCourt Orders U.S. Military to Allow Certain MAVNI Enlistees to Proceed with...
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a court order on October 27, 2017 to enjoin (i.e. prevent) the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) from refusing to certify requests for...
View ArticleDNA Test Allowed to Evidence Sibling Relationship
In light of the Board of Immigration Appeals decision in Matter of Ruzuku, which directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to accept sibling-to-sibling DNA tests as probative evidence to...
View ArticleDOS & DOJ Partner to Combat Immigration Fraud and Workplace Discrimination
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that they have formalized a partnership to facilitate information sharing between the agencies. This...
View ArticleNewsFlash! Appellate Court Allows Enforcement of Part of Trump’s Travel Ban
Today, the ninth circuit court of appeals handed the Trump Administration a partial victory, overturning a portion of the injunction that had been instituted on October 17, 2017 by a federal judge in...
View ArticleDecember 2017 Visa Bulletin: No Surprises, Nominal Progress
The December 2017 Visa Bulletin was released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) this afternoon. As expected, the latest visa bulletin provides little-to-no relief to the heavily oversubscribed...
View ArticleOIG Report Criticizes USCIS Targeted Site Visits for H1B Verification
On October 20, 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report criticizing the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Administrative Site...
View ArticleScam Alert: USCIS Does Not Request I-9s by eMail
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is cautioning employers that official requests to review employment eligibility verification (form I-9) records are never sent by eMail. The USCIS...
View ArticleH-4 EAD Program may be in Jeopardy
The Murthy Law Firm continues to receive inquiries from those concerned about whether the program that allows certain H-4 spouses to apply for employment authorization documents (EADs) will be altered,...
View ArticleBeware: Serious Immigration Consequences of Shoplifting
For people not accustomed to the open displays of merchandise typical in the United States, the opportunity to pick up a few small items could prove tempting. Many newcomers to this country do not...
View ArticleDecember 2017 Visa Bulletin Check-In: No Significant Revelations
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. There is precious little...
View ArticleTPS for Haitians Being Terminated, Effective July 22, 2019
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on November 20, 2017 that the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for certain nationals of Haiti will be terminated as of July 22,...
View ArticleChanges in Employer / Employment and Green Card Processing
As is painfully evident for many, the process of sponsorship for permanent residence (commonly referred to as a “green card”) via employment can be extremely lengthy. The timeframes, from initiation of...
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