This continuation of the Murthy Law Firm's examination of some of the major immigration developments in 2012 also analyzes the meaning of these developments for 2013. The drastic fluctuation in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) Visa Bulletin cutoff dates for India and China and current...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently conceded that major problems have been encountered in the transition to an electronic filing system. Turning away from the current vendor, the USCIS is considering multiple vendors to address delays and escalating costs. Thus, after a slow...
Fiscal year 2012 (FY12) was the busiest year on record for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audits of employers' employment eligibility verification (I-9 forms). Beyond just the number of investigations, fines and even arrests also grew dramatically during the past three fiscal years for...
Parts 1 & 2 of this MurthyDotCom NewsBrief examine some of the key immigration developments of 2012. Among the topics covered are how these developments could affect our readers in 2013 and recommendations for strategic planning on the U.S. immigration law front in 2013. The focus here...
It was recently announced that, beginning February 1, 2013, a $165 Immigrant Visa DHS Domestic Processing Fee (USCIS Immigrant Fee) will be collected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This fee only applies to green card applicants who are applying for immigrant visas...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for January 2013 is now available. The cutoff date movement is consistent with earlier predictions. The cutoff date for the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India is unchanged. The January 2013 Visa Bulletin is summarized here...
It's a long-settled principle of American law that where there's a wrong, there's a remedy. When a government agency makes a mistake, or doesn't play by its own rules, mechanisms are available to set things right, like challenging the agency's action - or inaction -...
The U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, India recently announced the expansion of the Interview Waiver Program (IWP) for certain visa applicants in India. The expanded program now includes H1B and L-1 visa applicants as well as certain students, provided that they meet specific requirements. Details regarding...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will start accepting H1B cap-subject filings for fiscal year 2014 (FY14) on Monday, April 1, 2013. While it may seem early to start thinking about April 2013, the Murthy Law Firm has already begun accepting and working on H1B cap-subject...
During the holidays there is generally a rise in retail reports of shoplifting. This may be attributable to the overall increase in shopping during the holiday season, when storekeepers must be particularly watchful. Store displays at this time of year may also prove especially tempting...
