On April 7, the White House released a statement indicating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is poised to publish several proposed rules, including one that, if approved, would allow H-4 spouses of certain H1B workers to obtain employment authorization. While this news is certainly...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently made permanent a visa interview waiver program that was initiated as a temporary, pilot program in January 2012. This program allows some individuals seeking renewals of previously issued visas to have their applications adjudicated without having to attend...
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has submitted proposed regulatory changes intended to improve the F-1 and M-1 student programs. The changes potentially would provide more resources in the form of additional designated school officials (DSOs). The proposals would also provide better options to F-1 and...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a news alert on November 15, 2013, reminding those impacted by the devastation in the Philippines created by Typhoon Haiyan that certain forms of immigration relief may be available. This reminder covers a number of general provisions applicable...
The Murthy Law Firm regularly addresses common errors and problem areas related to immigration, to alert MurthyDotCom readers before mistakes are made. This article is for individuals who are the beneficiaries of a change of status (COS) from H-4 to H1B. The issue arises after...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing issues pertaining to the availability of immigration benefits to same-sex spouses. Similar to the FAQs recently published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as discussed in the NewsBrief, Clarification...
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on June 26, 2013. DOMA, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, stood in the way of providing marriage-based immigration benefits to legally-married gay and lesbian couples....
There is an important change of status restriction on J-2 dependents of J-1 international medical graduates (IMGs). The following NewsBrief from the Murthy Law Firm discusses this nuance, which may otherwise come as a surprise to a J-2 spouse who seeks to transition to a...
Numerous reliable news sources have issued reports predicting that the much-anticipated Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill will be introduced on April 16, 2013. A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2013, after being postponed to allow the committee...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced an end to the use of paper I-94 arrival / departure cards for most travelers. A March 21, 2013 press release states that the CBP will go live with this plan in the near future. This...
