On January 5, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issued updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding how officers are to adjudicate pending immigrant petitions for alien workers (form I-140) when an employee ports to a new employer under the American Competitiveness...
On January 23, 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held a teleconference aimed at petitioning employers, explaining how companies will soon be able to use the new organizational accounts portal to file I-129 petitions for H1B workers online, along with I-907 requests for...
The Murthy Law Firm has received multiple reports that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been erroneously denying STEM optional practical training (OPT) applications filed by F-1 students, alleging that the applicant’s degree was not in a STEM designated field. This MurthyDotCom NewsBrief...
Recently, attorneys at the Murthy Law Firm have noticed a troubling trend by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), related to the adjudication of some I-539 applications to change status to B-1 or B-2 filed by H1B workers during their respective 60-day grace periods....
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the February 2024 Visa Bulletin. Unsurprisingly, there is little-to-no movement in most of the employment-based categories. All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published a final rule in the Federal Register announcing an increase in premium processing fees that will go into effect February 26, 2024. The fee increase is based on the inflation index from June 2021 through June...
To apply for status as a lawful permanent resident ("LPR") in an employment-based category, a foreign national typically must be sponsored by a U.S. employer. One exception to this, however, is the national interest waiver (NIW), which falls under the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category....
On December 12, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the release of updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual relating to family-based conditional permanent residents (CPRs). The USCIS added consolidated guidance to the policy manual, which includes updated direction on waivers based...
The holiday season provides many with opportunities to have a good time, and a few drinks, with friends. Those who choose to do so should arrange for a designated driver or other safe, sober transportation home. Alcohol-related arrests, not to mention serious accidents, are all...
Answer If the latest approval notice is not presented, the CBP officer at the port of entry typically will not admit the dependent spouse beyond the expiration date listed on the visa (which generally is the expiration date from the original H1B approval notice). (28.Dec.2023)Sheela Murthy...
