For almost a decade, foreign nationals and their employers have benefited from the provisions of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) in employment-based, permanent residence cases. These provisions allow for enhanced employment flexibility as part of the permanent resident (commonly referred to...
Apparently, many people still use the term INS (for Immigration and Naturalization Service) when referring to the governmental entity responsible for immigration enforcement and benefits. As many of our readers are aware, the INS ceased to exist on March 1, 2003. The term is simply...
USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced on March 21, 2011 the launch of the E-Verify Self Check program. This is an initiative that allows individuals in the United States to check their employment eligibility information without charge. Purpose: Correct Inaccuracies in Advance The self check allows individuals to...
In a recently-updated article, available on MurthyDotCom, some of the requirements for naturalization to become a U.S. citizen are discussed. [See Basic Eligibility Requirements for Naturalization (updated 19.Nov.2010).] Here we focus in greater detail on the legal requirement of "good moral character" - an important,...
Part 1 of this informative article discussed the requirement of "good moral character" as it applies to applications for naturalization for U.S. citizenship. In Part 2, we move here from conduct that mandates a denial of the naturalization application to discretionary issues involving good moral...
Many foreign nationals are voicing concerns about potential changes pertaining to the acquisition of U.S. citizenship by children born in the United States. These concerns arise from a January 5, 2011 press conference wherein a group of state legislators, including legislators from Arizona, Georgia, South...
In order for a foreign national to naturalize to U.S. citizenship, it is necessary to pass a test on U.S. government and history. Most of the information on the test does not change over time. However, several of the possible questions on the test ask...
International travel is quite common in December and January each year. Many foreign nationals see the holiday season as a good time to visit family abroad. Some of the important matters that must be considered with regard to international travel are outlined here for the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced in late October 2010 that it has started using a redesigned naturalization certificate. This is part of ongoing efforts to enhance document security. Thus, the new version of the certificate of naturalization (Form N-550) contains a number...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posts processing information online. This is itemized by each service center and for each field office, based on case type. While this is helpful, further explanation is provided here to aid MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers in understanding the...
