We at the Murthy Law Firm have received some inquiries connected to the August 18, 2011 Obama Administration announcement regarding changes in certain immigration enforcement policies. The crux of the administration's position is that government enforcement efforts should focus on individuals who meet high priority...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently conducted a second random lottery to select "winners" of the 2012 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. The DV 2012 new "winners" have been finalized and posted. All DV 2012 applicants must check the official lottery website in order to...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) addressed questions related to proposed changes within the PERM labor certification process. The purpose of the changes is to enhance system integrity. The DOL also intends to propose legislation to allow for an employer-paid filing fee in connection with...
In the past ten years, the cultural acceptance of same-sex relationships in the United States has increased greatly. What was once a fringe idea has now become a more frequent topic of debate. At the time of this writing, five states and the District of...
On April 11, 2011, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision blocking controversial provisions of Arizona's immigration law, S.B. 1070, from taking effect. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that there is sufficient evidence to believe that the challenged provisions amount to...
The U.S. government will not experience a shutdown at this time, thanks to a last-minute, temporary spending measure. This will provide funding to cover government operations for a few days, after which it is expected that an agreement will be reached for the rest of...
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 the latest defeat of efforts toward positive immigration reform, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to pass the Senate on December 18, 2010. This marked the last chance to pass immigration benefits measures during the 111th Congress. The DREAM...
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 (S. 3932) was introduced in the Senate on September 29, 2010. The bill is sponsored by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NY) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). While Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) has been claimed as a priority for many years,...
President Barack Obama signed a law on August 13, 2010, that increases funding for U.S. border security by $600 million. The funding for this increase in security will be paid for, in part, by substantially increasing the fees that some employers must pay when filing...
