The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an announcement on March 16, 2011 that they are reviewing the current policy regarding H1B cap exemptions for cases filed by nonprofit affiliates of institutions of higher education. This is an important topic for many MurthyDotCom and...
As some MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers certainly have experienced firsthand, PERM labor certification processing times have greatly improved during 2011. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is making a concerted effort to reduce their backlog in the processing of PERMs, and the results are showing...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an advisory on March 11, 2011 regarding relief for foreign nationals who are stranded in the United States following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This advisory provides instructions as to how to obtain permission to remain...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is undertaking a series of technological updates known as the Transformation Initiative. Transformation is essentially an effort by USCIS to move the application process from a paper-based system to an online, electronic system. These changes will be of...
The U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, India is experiencing a temporary reduction in capacity, as of March 3, 2011. The condition of the building has made it necessary to close several interview windows at the Consulate, thus limiting the volume of applicants who can be interviewed...
Update: Due to an agreement on government funding for a two-week period, there will not be an immediate government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution provides funding until March 18, 2011. A shutdown remains possible in the future if a longer term agreement is not reached.-----If the...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director, Alejandro Mayorkas, addressed stakeholders in early February 2011 with a report on the agency's accomplishments in 2010 and projected initiatives for 2011. This overview of Director Mayorkas's address emphasizes topics that may be of special interest to MurthyDotCom...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) annual diversity visa (DV) lottery is often a vehicle used by unscrupulous individuals to take advantage of foreign nationals seeking permanent residence in the United States. While the DV lottery is a genuine U.S. government program, it is important...
Many MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers are following the ongoing saga of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid of Tri-Valley University (TVU). On January 19, 2011, the U.S. Attorney filed a complaint seeking the forfeiture of properties belonging to Susan Xiao-Ping Su, TVU's Chief...
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has posted a brief notice, entitled Attention Former Tri-Valley University Students. This notice advises that the SEVIS records of former Tri-Valley (TVU) students were terminated as of January 18, 2011. ICE is advising students to call a Student and Exchange...
