On August 10, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a draft memorandum regarding certain legal requirements for the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant investor category. The memo specifically addresses two key EB5 requirements: job creation and sustaining the EB5 investment over the two-year...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 24, 2015 that the agency's older eFiling system is being decommissioned. This system, which the USCIS now refers to as the "legacy eFiling system," has been replaced by the more modern Electronic Immigration System (ELIS). This...
The Murthy Law Firm has learned about a significant procedural change for nonimmigrant (temporary) visa applications at U.S. consulates in India. More specifically, this shift in procedure relates to the online DS-160 form, which typically must be completed prior to scheduling an appointment to apply...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum on April 15, 2015, on a technical matter under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). U.S. immigration law generally limits dependent or derivative status to children who are under twenty-one years of age. In the...
On August 12, 2015, the decision was issued by a U.S. district court that will serve to terminate the 17-month optional practical training (OPT) extension program for F-1 STEM students unless the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) addresses the matter within the next 6...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), through Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides a monthly explanation of the visa bulletin contents. The September 2015 Visa Bulletin contains some significant cutoff date movements, both forward and backward. Accordingly, Mr. Oppenheim has...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2015 Visa Bulletin, which is the final visa bulletin for fiscal year 2015. To the disappointment of many, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India and China retrogresses to January 1, 2006. On a far more...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder to nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone of the August 18, 2015 deadline for temporary protected status (TPS) registration. Eligible individuals must apply by the deadline in order to obtain the corresponding immigration benefits. Eligibility...
On August 12, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not follow proper procedures when they created the STEM OPT extension regulation. Thus, the Court vacated or struck down the regulation, effective February...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an explanation regarding signature waivers for permanent resident cards (i.e. green cards). This is in reference to situations in which a form I-551 (commonly, a "green card") bears the notation signature waived, rather than the green card...
