The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has implemented changes at U.S. ports of entry (POEs) intended to prevent improper admission of students and exchange visitors. The need for improvements in the data systems was brought to light after the Boston Marathon bombings. The new...
MurthyDotCom readers are no doubt aware that a comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) bill is currently making its way through the U.S. Senate. A brief overview of the initially proposed bill was provided in our NewsBriefs, Immigration Reform Bill Summary: Part 1 (29.Apr.2013) and Part 2 (3.May.2013)....
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiated the roll out, on April 30, 2013, of a completely new system for documenting arrivals and departures at U.S. airports and seaports. The schedule for the transition to all U.S. airports and seaports allowed for a four-week...
The results of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) diversity visa (DV) lottery for fiscal year 2014 (FY14) are now available. The DV lottery is a DOS program that runs on an annual basis. Eligibility for participation is limited to people from designated countries with...
This MurthyDotCom NewsBrief marks the end of updates to our readers on developments related to the fiscal year 2014 (FY14) H1B cap season. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun returning H1B cases that were not selected in the FY14 lottery. The USCIS...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for June 2013 is now available. The contents of the employment-based (EB) categories in the June 2013 Visa Bulletin are set forth below for the benefit of MurthyDotCom readers. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) This category remains current...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered a higher level of scrutiny of F-1 students at the U.S. ports of entry (POEs), according to the Associated Press [Foreign Students to Face New Checks at U.S. Borders, Julia Preston, New York Times, 03.May.2013]. The...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is transitioning the nation's sea and air ports of entry (POEs) to the automated I-94 arrival / departure card system. At the same time, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating forms and procedures to adapt...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is still processing H1B cap-subject filings for fiscal year 2014 (FY14), as of this writing. Questions regarding the status of these filings continue to come into the Murthy Law Firm. This NewsBrief updates MurthyDotCom readers on the process,...
Colleges and universities certified to sponsor foreign students for F-1 classification often receive applications from potential students who meet these schools' academic standards, but lack sufficient proficiency in English. To address this matter, many Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-authorized schools have created various types...
