The H1B cap for fiscal year 2012 (FY12) continues to have numbers available, as of this writing. The volume of filings for FY12 has been light. The latest U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) statistics on H1B usage is always available via MurthyDotCom, on the...
In Part I (26.Aug.2011) of this NewsBrief, MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers were informed of August 2, 2011 policy announcements from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), intended to facilitate immigration benefits for foreign national entrepreneurs. That article discussed the potential use of the H1B...
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas recently announced policies intended to allow the utilization of current immigration categories by foreign national entrepreneurs in a more expansive manner. These announcements were...
Visa denials for H1B workers in the IT consulting industry continue to be commonplace. Many applicants arrive for their visa appointments at U.S. consulates fully prepared, with documents in support of their H1B visa applications, yet they still face administrative processing delays and refusals. For...
The Murthy Law Firm is proud to report a recent resolution in the long delay in the processing of a nonimmigrant visa application. This was a result of determined efforts by attorneys in our firm, who found a creative solution to a client's immigration problem....
In an unexpected and encouraging move, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an initiative on August 2, 2011, to encourage immigrant entrepreneurs and start-up companies to the United States. This USCIS initiative will be especially helpful to people from countries like India and...
Recently, BALCA rendered an opinion on two separate cases regarding the use of expired Prevailing Wage Determinations (PWDs) in PERM labor certification cases. The appeals body within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA). The useful information...
The 2011 Annual Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) was held in mid-June in San Diego, California. As in years past, several Murthy Law Firm attorneys attended the conference. This is one way we keep up to date with the latest developments in...
Amid an increasing number of I-9 audits and investigations, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has created the I-9 Central Portal for use by employers seeking to comply with the hiring restrictions imposed by U.S. immigration law. The new I-9 portal was announced in...
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a news release on May 12, 2011 announcing that ICE has added new degree programs to the list of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees eligible for the 17-month optional practical training (OPT) extension for F-1...
