Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it will temporarily relax one of the eligibility criteria for the interview waiver program at U.S. consulates, commonly referred to as the "drop box" option.Under the normal rules, one of the qualifying criteria is that the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reportedly cancelled its plans to furlough a large percentage of its staff at the end of this month. Due to budget constraints, however, the USCIS is cautioning stakeholders to expect longer wait times for certain services, such...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a reminder to universities and F-1 students employed pursuant to post-completion optional practical training (OPT) to ensure that changes in employer information are updated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Per the USCIS...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, due to delays in the production of employment authorization documents (EADs), a form I-797 approval notice that has a notice date on or after December 1, 2019 through and including August 20, 2020, can be...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the September 2020 Visa Bulletin. There is very little movement from the previous month. This is the final visa bulletin of the current fiscal year. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action...
On July 29, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that, following an injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, it would not apply the October 2, 2019 public charge rule "…for any period during which...
Effective Monday, August 17, 2020, the U.S. consulates in India will have a limited number of slots available for F and J visa applicants. Per the announcement, emergency student and exchange visitor appointment requests submitted prior to August 12 will be processed first. The consulates...
In the past week, there have been unconfirmed reports that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was planning on holding a second H1B lottery. This morning, the Murthy Law Firm began receiving notifications that some of our clients' registrations, which were submitted in March...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed temporary suspension of the issuance of courtesy faxes for requests for evidence (RFEs), notices of intent to deny (NOIDs), and denials due to the pandemic. The USCIS will continue to issue such notices via regular mail...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated the exceptions to the nonimmigrant workers who are prohibited from being admitted to the United States based on President Trump's June 22, 2020, executive order. For example, the DOS now provides an exception for H1B, L1A, and...
