A foreign national is subject to specific, strict requirements as a condition of obtaining F-1 status as a full-time student. Failure to follow legal requirements can lead to status violations, which can have potentially devastating effects for many international students. Foreign national students must stay...
Sheela Murthy met with Arun K. Singh, the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), and Datta Palsargikar, the Minister of Community Affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. The DCM shared updates the DHS had given the Indian government regarding the ICE raid on UNVA.Ms....
As was reported in our NewsFlash posted on MurthyDotCom July 28, 2011, (University of Northern Virginia: F-1 Students Must Read!) the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has begun proceedings to terminate the SEVP certification of the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA). According to a...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an interim policy memorandum that changes the timeframe for responding to various requests for evidence (RFEs). The interim memorandum became effective immediately for RFEs issued after July 7, 2011, the date of the memo. The purpose...
On July 28, 2011, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) served the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA) with a Notice of Intent to Withdraw the school's eligibility to sponsor F-1 foreign students. This situation is similar to what Tri-Valley University (TVU) students faced in...
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is developing the next generation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The new system, known as SEVIS II, is designed to address the limitations of the current SEVIS system. The timeframe for the phased-in implementation...
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a news release on May 12, 2011 announcing that ICE has added new degree programs to the list of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees eligible for the 17-month optional practical training (OPT) extension for F-1...
Issues arising from the Tri-Valley University (TVU) raid in January 2011 continue to plague former students of that institution. The Murthy Law Firm and lawyers from other firms have been involved in efforts to assist former TVU students as they seek to regain lawful status...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently published a final rule giving U.S. consular officers, posted at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, increased power to revoke previously-approved nonimmigrant (temporary) visa foils (known as "stamps"). The changed regulations also provide for authority to temporarily revoke approved...
[Part 1 of this news article, H1B Portability: A Change in USCIS Policy? Part 1 of 2 (13.May.2011), is available on MurthyDotCom.]In Part 1 of this article, a narrowing of the USCIS's interpretation of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) was discussed...
