Murthy Appeals to President to Intervene in Visa Fiasco
01 Oct 2015Sheela Murthy and the Murthy Law Firm continue to press the government to reimplement the original version of the October 2015 Visa Bulletin. As part of our efforts in this regard, attorney Murthy has sent correspondence to President Obama, with copies to senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the U.S. Department of State (DOS), asking him to intervene on behalf of the immigrant community. We continue to encourage all stakeholders to join us in fighting this injustice by reaching out to elected officials and signing this White House petition.
Following are excerpts from attorney Murthy’s letter to the President:
… The October 2015 Visa Bulletin generated immense excitement for many of our firm’s clients, and throughout the immigration community, when it was initially published on September 9th, 2015 … That excitement turned to shock and disappointment just two weeks later. On September 25th, the DOS revised the October 2015 Visa Bulletin, rolling back dates and shattering hopes and dreams. These are the very immigrants that you intended to allow to partake of their great American dream through greater stability and less reliance on a single employer.
… Many have made life-altering decisions and taken drastic actions in reliance upon the initial October Visa Bulletin. … The professionals and their families who stood to benefit from the initial October Visa Bulletin have long played by the rules, abiding by our established immigration laws and regulations … these immigrants believe in the opportunities of this great nation and have struggled for years to achieve the American dream. They work hard and pay taxes. They believe in this country, and they rely upon transparency and reliability within our government and our immigration processes. Unfortunately, on September 25th, 2015, the United States let them down.
Not only does the action in revising the visa bulletin harm the individuals and employers involved, it undermines the reliability of our entire employment-based immigration system. The unexpected decision of the USCIS to refuse to accept most otherwise-eligible I-485 filings, and the complicity by the DOS in this matter, denies both substantive and procedural due process rights to would-be applicants. …
We are a nation of immigrants. … I am eternally grateful for the incredible opportunities afforded me in this great nation to maximize my potential, build my law firm, and lawfully, honestly, and diligently serve those who wish to immigrate. This is what sets the U.S. apart from other countries rampant with corruption, greed, and mismanagement. The governmental actions in connection with the October 2015 Visa Bulletin have made many feel cheated and betrayed by our government. …
We respectfully request that you undertake the following to redress the harm caused to so many…:
- Issue a directive to both the DOS and the USCIS to resolve this issue promptly. Specifically, the USCIS must accept the I-485 filings eligible under the initial October Visa Bulletin from October 1, 2015 onwards, and for a sufficient time thereafter, to accommodate the delays and upheaval created by this series of events. …
- Take all necessary measures to avoid any possibility that a similar event could occur in the future.
We urge you to step in to right this wrong. We appeal to you to do what is right legally, morally, ethically, and on humanitarian grounds. These people need to regain their trust in our government, our legal system, and in our country.
Yours truly,
Sheela Murthy, Esq.
Murthy Law Firm
President and CEO