The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the October 2018 Visa Bulletin. This is the first visa bulletin for fiscal year 2019 (FY19), and reflects recovery from the retrogression that occurred in the August 2018 Visa Bulletin. Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The cutoff dates for...
A report released by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) has provided an analysis of the sharp increase in denials and requests for evidence (RFE) for H1B and L-1 petitions due to new federal policies on immigration. According to the report, the denial rate...
On September 6, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held a public stakeholder teleconference to provide some additional guidance on how the July 13, 2018 Issuance of Certain RFEs and NOIDs memorandum will be implemented. This memo, which goes into effect on Tuesday,...
On August 8, 2018, the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) filed a grievance against the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging that the EOIR violated an immigration judge’s authority to make decisions based on independent judgment...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a news alert advising stakeholders impacted by special circumstances (e.g., natural catastrophes and other extreme situations), including the California wildfires, that certain forms of immigration relief may be available on a discretionary basis. Types of Relief for...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) recently announced the second phase of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records SysTem (FIRST). This system is designed to bring FOIA requests into the digital age. More details on FOIA are available in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief,...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced this afternoon that, effective September 11, 2018, petitioners will temporarily be unable to request premium processing for most types of H1B petitions. This restriction is expected to remain in place until February 19, 2019.As of September 11th,...
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to share information and, ostensibly, to protect U.S. workers. This MOU is designed to make it easier to refer cases of potential discrimination in...
A federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Trump Administration to fully restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The judge ruled that the Administration's decision to rescind the DACA program was "unlawful and must...
On August 20, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided a status update to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, confirming that the agency is working to finalize a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which is expected to...
