Extreme Hardship Criteria for Form I-601 Waivers
A foreign national may be found to be inadmissible (i.e., ineligible to enter the United States, adjust status from within the U.S., or apply for certain other immigration benefits) for a variety of...
View ArticleDecember 2019 Visa Bulletin: Limited Movement in Most Final Action Dates
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the December 2019 Visa Bulletin. In December, movement in most categories is limited. China sees gradual advancements in the employment-based, first and...
View ArticleMurthyAudio: Analysis of January 2017 Regulations
The “Retention of EB1, EB2, and EB3 Immigrant Workers and Program Improvements Affecting High-Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers” regulation, which was published in January 2017 is discussed in depth by...
View ArticleDOS Defines Legal Standard for L-1 Petitions Filed Under Blankets
On October 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) to define the clearly approvable standard in the context of L-1 visa applications filed under a...
View ArticleDecember 2019 Visa Bulletin Check-In
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the...
View ArticleUSCIS Proposal for Substantial Fee Increase and Imposition of New Filing Fees
As previously reported on MurthyDotCom, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new proposed rule on Thursday, November 14, 2019, outlining significant increases for many U.S....
View ArticleUSCIS Still Unsure Whether H1B Registration System Will Be Ready for Upcoming...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently finalized the rule adding a small fee to the H1B registration system for employers seeking to file cap-subject H1B petitions for fiscal...
View ArticleMurthyAudio: Year-End Planning – Immigration Compliance
Year-end planning is the topic for the final teleconference of 2019. Murthy Law Firm attorneys join Sheela Murthy to discuss matters including the retention of records for H1B petitions (public access...
View ArticleNewsFlash! USCIS Will Use H1B Registration System for Upcoming Cap Season
This evening, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that “it has completed a successful pilot testing phase and is implementing the registration process in the next H1B...
View ArticleSecond DUI is Presumption of Lack of Good Moral Character
William Barr, the U.S. Attorney General, recently certified a decision on a case, Matter of Castillo-Perez, in which he ruled that a foreign national who has two or more convictions for driving under...
View ArticleChild Status Protection Act Basics (Part 1 of 2)
One motivating factor for many people in the decision to immigrate to the United States is the potential opportunities for their children. For years, parents of children born abroad faced the...
View ArticleFrequently Asked Questions About H1B Cap and Electronic Registration System
H1B cap filing season is nearly upon us, and the new electronic registration system has altered the H1B lottery process significantly. Below are answers to a number of frequently asked questions sent...
View ArticleChild Status Protection Act Basics (Part 2 of 2)
The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) was enacted to preserve family unity. As explained in Part 1 of this article, the CSPA works to “freeze” the age of a qualifying child for immigration purposes....
View ArticleJanuary 2020 Visa Bulletin: Updated Predictions
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the January 2020 Visa Bulletin. This month’s visa bulletin also includes predictions for cutoff date movement in the coming months. All cutoff dates...
View ArticleHow a Job Changes May Impact Your Approved I-140
Moving from one employer to another in the best of circumstances can be stressful. For a foreign national who has an approved I-140, however, moving to a new employer – or even just a new position with...
View ArticleH1Bs Cannot Be “Transferred”– Misconceptions Around H1B Employment Change
MurthyDotCom regularly addresses common questions and misunderstandings about immigration law. Questions regarding H1B status and changing employers often arise that refer to “transferring” the H1B....
View ArticleSheela Murthy Keynotes for The Global Trade Driver in Bengaluru
Internationally renowned U.S. immigration law attorney, Sheela Murthy, is the keynote speaker on Friday, January 3, 2020 in Bangalore, India. The keynote talk is on U.S. Employment Law with a focus on...
View ArticleNew Year’s Reminders for Employers (Part 1 of 2)
With the arrival of another new year, now is a good time for employers to review a number of immigration-related matters and documents to help ensure smooth business operations in 2020. It is always...
View ArticleProposal to Narrow Asylum Eligibility
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a rule that would further limit asylum eligibility. Under the current rules, a criminal conviction does...
View ArticleNew Year’s Reminders for Employers (Part 2 of 2)
Part 1 (02.Jan.2020) of this MurthyDotCom NewsBrief provides a number of tips and reminders for companies to verify that they have remained in compliance with certain key employment and immigration...
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