The Murthy Law Firm regularly addresses common errors and problem areas related to immigration, to alert MurthyDotCom readers before mistakes are made. This article is for individuals who are the beneficiaries of a change of status (COS) from H-4 to H1B. The issue arises after...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing issues pertaining to the availability of immigration benefits to same-sex spouses. Similar to the FAQs recently published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as discussed in the NewsBrief, Clarification...
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on June 26, 2013. DOMA, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, stood in the way of providing marriage-based immigration benefits to legally-married gay and lesbian couples....
There is an important change of status restriction on J-2 dependents of J-1 international medical graduates (IMGs). The following NewsBrief from the Murthy Law Firm discusses this nuance, which may otherwise come as a surprise to a J-2 spouse who seeks to transition to a...
Numerous reliable news sources have issued reports predicting that the much-anticipated Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill will be introduced on April 16, 2013. A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2013, after being postponed to allow the committee...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced an end to the use of paper I-94 arrival / departure cards for most travelers. A March 21, 2013 press release states that the CBP will go live with this plan in the near future. This...
Attorneys at the Murthy Law Firm as well as Murthy Immigration Services, Pvt. Ltd. (MISPL) in India, are often contacted by visa applicants following denials resulting from applicants having been found ineligible due to fraud or misrepresentation. The section of law that covers fraud related...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to discontinue the availability of the Legacy INS online filing option for the application to extend / change nonimmigrant status (form I-539). This change will be effective as of February 28, 2013. Those who wish to file...
The new visa application system, introduced in India in September 2012, requires nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applicants to create a profile at www.ustraveldoc.com/in after completion of the DS-160 form, and to generate the payment code to remit the visa application fee. Next, they must schedule the...
As we launch into New Year 2013, we at the Murthy Law Firm would like to remind our readers that now is a good time to double check important documents and dates related to one's immigration. This is the first in a series of articles...
