As previously discussed on MurthyDotCom, the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress in December 2015 included provisions that increase an already hefty filing fee for H1B and L-1 petitions filed by companies that meet certain requirements. As of December 18, 2015 - the date the bill...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) February 2016 Visa Bulletin was issued on January 8, 2016. This latest visa bulletin provides advancement of the final action (FA) cutoff date in the employment-based, second preference category for India, consistent with earlier predictions. Meanwhile, the date of filing...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has several options for travelers to provide feedback, compliments, and/or complaints about the agency's employees. If a problem arises with a CBP officer, there are mechanisms for reporting the problem in person to a supervisor, as well as...
This afternoon, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the February 2016 Visa Bulletin. Once again, there is no change in the dates for filing (DF) chart for the employment-based categories. But, there is some forward movement in the final action (FA) chart.For India, the employment-based,...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule, on December 30, 2015, entitled "Retention of EB1, EB2, and EB3 Immigrant Workers and Program Improvements Affecting High-Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers." Included in the proposed rule is the long-awaited provision for the ability to obtain an...
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is nearing its goal of fully staffing the field representative program. These representatives are involved with the F-1 and M-1 school certification process. They also play a key role in assuring school compliance with F-1 and M-1 related...
This morning, a proposed rule was published in the Federal Register that would provide a number of immigration benefits, including grace periods for certain nonimmigrant workers, improved job flexibility, and greater clarity on a number of existing immigration rules. Some of these benefits include:Once an...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has filed a motion requesting a delay in the termination of the existing STEM optional practical training (OPT) rule. The reason for this request is that the DHS needs more time to put a new STEM OPT regulation...
Each month, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) explains key aspects of the visa bulletin contents through Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division. The January 2016 Visa Bulletin information discusses the expectations for the employment-based, second preference (EB2) India category as...
A draft version of a revised form I-765, application for employment authorization has been released, and the corresponding instructions appear to reveal the eligibility criteria for the proposed I-140 employment document authorization (EAD) rule. Unfortunately, it appears that the proposed rule will be more restrictive than hoped....
