The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision affirming the block on relief for undocumented foreign nationals. The case, United States v Texas, sought to overturn an injunction against implementation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), as well as expansion...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) have special, expedited procedures for active duty U.S. military personnel stationed overseas who are petitioning for immigration benefits for their family members. These procedures help to greatly reduce the paperwork processing...
The annual limits for the employment-based, fourth preference (EB4) category have been reached for applicants born in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This development is reflected in the establishment of a cutoff date in the May 2016 Visa Bulletin issued by the U.S. Department of State...
This final NewsBrief in our series of annual reminders focuses on key dates within immigration law. The subject here is primarily dates important to permanent residents ("green card" holders) and those applying to become permanent residents of the United States. Regularly Check Priority Date Movement to...
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument April 18, 2016 on the Obama administration's appeal of a decision that halted implementation of the President's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has created an assistance desk for employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) investors. This effort to improve service for EB5 cases was launched by the National Visa Center (NVC) on February 22, 2016. An overview of the EB5 program is available...
If a foreign national applies for permanent residence status based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, and the marriage is less than two years in duration at the time the green card is approved, the foreign national will be issued conditional permanent resident status valid...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule in December 2015, entitled Retention of EB1, EB2, and EB3 Immigrant Workers and Program Improvements Affecting High-Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers. As indicated in our January 8, 2016 NewsBrief, I-140 EAD Proposal is Limited and Restrictive,...
Each year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for setting federal poverty guidelines, which are used to determine whether an individual or family qualifies for certain government benefits. These guidelines are important in the immigration context, particularly with respect to...
Murthy Law Firm founder and president, Sheela Murthy, was in India in January 2016. A meeting was scheduled for the 22nd. Accompanied by team members from the firm's liaison office in Chennai, Murthy met with the Chief of the Nonimmigrant Visa Section, Lindsey L. Rothenberg,...
