I Visa for Representatives of Foreign Press and Media
The I visa allows members of the foreign press and other foreign "information media representatives" to enter the United States in order to work in this vocation. While this nonimmigrant category is...
View ArticleNewsFlash! FY15 H1B Cap Reached – Lottery Forthcoming
As expected, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received enough cap-subject H1B petitions during the first five business days of April than the 65,000 regular cap numbers available...
View ArticleNewsFlash! H-4 Spouses are NOT Eligible for Employment Authorization
On April 7, the White House released a statement indicating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is poised to publish several proposed rules, including one that, if approved, would allow H-4...
View ArticleShedding Light on Planned Proposal for Employment Authorization for Select H-4s
On April 7, the White House released a statement indicating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is poised to publish several proposed rules, including one that, if approved, would allow a...
View ArticleUSCIS Seeks Public Opinion
The USCIS Idea Community is an online tool created by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to solicit public feedback and ideas on its services and initiatives. The "idea campaign"...
View ArticleNewsFlash! H1B Cap Lottery Completed
On April 10, 2014, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the completion of the random selection lottery of H1B cap subject petitions filed for fiscal year 2015 (FY15). The...
View ArticleTrends Among International Students in the U.S.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) recently released a quarterly report on the statistical data in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The report provides...
View ArticleOPT Cap-Gap Extensions
The completion of the H1B cap-filing season for fiscal year (FY) 2015 gives rise to questions about optional practical training (OPT) extensions. MurthyDotCom readers have raised concerns about...
View ArticleMay 2014 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the May 2014 Visa Bulletin. There is little to cheer for in this month's bulletin, with no unexpected forward movement in any of the categories. Further,...
View ArticleCBP Publishes Wait Times at Various Ports of Entry
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) WebSite provides detailed and helpful information about the wait times at various U.S. ports of entry (POEs). While there can be considerable variation at...
View ArticleUSCIS Issuing RFEs on I-485s for Updated Medical Exams
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun issuing requests for evidence (RFEs) for updated medical examinations in connection with long-pending adjustment of status cases (I-485...
View ArticleUpdate on H1B Cap Cases
On April 10, 2014, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) completed the fiscal year 2015 (FY15) lottery process for both advanced degree (or master's) cap and regular H1B cap cases....
View Article500,000 Employers Now Enrolled in E-Verify
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of January 2014, more than half a million employers are participating in the E-Verify program. E-Verify allows employers to...
View ArticleEligible Students Should Request STEM OPT Extension
Many F-1 students on optional practical training (OPT) are the beneficiaries of H1B petitions filed against the fiscal year 2015 cap. Some of these F-1 students have learned, or will learn shortly,...
View ArticleOfficial Predictions on Priority Date Movement for FY14
Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Immigrant Visa Control Unit at the U.S. Department of State (DOS), recently provided expectations for cutoff date movement for the remainder of fiscal year 2014 (FY14)....
View ArticleReminder: Applicants for U.S. Citizenship Must Now Use Revised N-400
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revises application and petition forms from time to time. These changes are often tied to new legal and procedural requirements, or efforts to...
View ArticleNewsFlash! DHS Releases Details on Proposed Rules for H-4 Employment...
On May 6, 2014, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release that provides details on the proposed rule that would allow certain H-4 spouses to obtain employment authorization. This...
View ArticleMassive Open Online Courses and F-1/M-1 Students
In light of the rising popularity of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently issued a press release to remind F-1 and M-1 students of some...
View ArticleNewsFlash! June Visa Bulletin Released, EB3 China and F2A Retrogresses
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the June 2014 Visa Bulletin. As expected, the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category for spouses and (unmarried, minor) children of lawful...
View ArticleJune 2014 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the June 2014 Visa Bulletin. As predicted, the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category retrogresses for all countries of chargeability, as...
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