The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the incorporation of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) definition of "science or art" into its policy manual for Schedule A, Group II cases. The policy change goes into effect immediately. Background An employer sponsoring a foreign national...
Starting March 2024, the U.S. Embassy in India has consolidated B-1/B-2 interview waiver appointments in New Delhi, leading to limited appointment availability at U.S. consular posts in India. Applicants, however, still can submit applications at designated centers across India. This move aims to streamline the...
This afternoon, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the May 2024 Visa Bulletin. The employment-based categories show no forward movement from the previous month. All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based,...
This afternoon, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that that the agency had received enough registrations for unique beneficiaries to meet the regular H1B cap and the advanced degree exemption (i.e., the master's cap) for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). All employers that submitted...
For those not selected in the H1B cap-subject lottery, some options are discussed in this article, including transferring to another F-1 program of study, finding cap-exempt employment or determining if another nonimmigrant option is viable. There also are options for nationals of certain countries like...
The attorneys in our firm regularly track governmental policies and take action to improve the immigration process for our clients and the immigration community at large. To that end, the Murthy Law Firm recently submitted a letter to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...
On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated the USCIS Policy Manual clarifying certain criteria for expedite requests. The update also provides additional guidance on how to submit expedite requests to the USCIS and how they are processed. Overview of USCIS Policy...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced this evening that the registration period for the fiscal year 2025 cap is being extended until noon Eastern Time (U.S.) on March 25, 2024. This extension is being granted due to various technical problems that have occurred...
On March 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the April 2024 Visa Bulletin. For India and China, EB3 remains ahead of EB2 on the final action date chart, which may lead to increased interest in transferring the underlying basis of a pending...
The H2A program was created in response to the shortage of agricultural workers in the United States. This program allows U.S. farms and agricultural businesses to bring foreign nationals to the U.S. to fill positions that are of a temporary or seasonal nature if certain...
