With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of visa services at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad remains limited. The severity of backlogs in visa interviews varies based on epidemic control protocols of each country. U.S. embassies and consulates are taking the necessary precautions to protect...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has launched a new monthly program on YouTube, to allow Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, to provide insight and predictions related to the visa bulletin. This month, Mr. Oppenheim provides some updated predictions for...
From time to time, articles are written to guide MurthyDotCom readers in avoiding inadvertently running afoul of immigration laws. One common problem involves individuals present in the United States in lawful, nonimmigrant status who wish to earn extra money. These foreign nationals are often enticed...
Today, a federal district court in California issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the enforcement of President Trump's June 22, 2020 executive order that bans entry of certain nonimmigrants in H, L, or J status. However, this injunction only applies to the plaintiffs in the pending...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced today that, in light of a federal court order issued on September 4, 2020, consulates may resume processing fiscal year 2020 diversity visa (DV) cases to the degree that "local health conditions and post resources allow." However, consulates...
U.S. consular sections across India have resumed accepting drop box applications to renew F, M, J, H, and L visas from qualifying applicants. In addition to the standard drop box requirements, H and L visa applicants must qualify for one of the exceptions to the...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it will temporarily relax one of the eligibility criteria for the interview waiver program at U.S. consulates, commonly referred to as the "drop box" option.Under the normal rules, one of the qualifying criteria is that the...
On July 29, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that, following an injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, it would not apply the October 2, 2019 public charge rule "…for any period during which...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated the exceptions to the nonimmigrant workers who are prohibited from being admitted to the United States based on President Trump's June 22, 2020, executive order. For example, the DOS now provides an exception for H1B, L1A, and...
Murthy Law Firm attorneys provide an update on how COVID-19 has affected U.S. immigration both in the U.S. and at U.S. consulates, which aired on 05.Aug.2020 as part of our teleconference series for employers and their representatives.The MP3 is available here, and is listed in...
