Last night, Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), was the featured speaker at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) D.C. Chapter meeting. During his talk, he provided some updated predictions regarding the employment-based, third...
Designations for temporary protected status (TPS) for nationals of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be terminated on May 21, 2017. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is also recommending that the TPS designation for Haitian citizens be terminated in January of 2018. Background on...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has issued a warning in relation to a recent trend in telephone scams. The OIG warns that criminals are calling prospective victims and altering the caller ID number to appear as though...
Generally speaking, whenever a U.S. company hires a new employee, the employer is required by law to verify the identity and employment authorization of the worker. This is accomplished by completing the I-9 form and having the new hire present one or more acceptable documents....
As of May 1, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun issuing redesigned versions of permanent resident cards (i.e. I-551 forms, commonly referred to as "green cards") and employment authorization documents (EADs). The redesigned documents include several enhanced security features. Existing green...
The June 2017 Visa Bulletin was released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) this afternoon. For the month of June, there is no movement in the dates for filing (DF) chart. In the final action (FA) chart, the employment-based, first preference (EB1) category for...
Attorneys at the Murthy Law Firm are often asked whether it is too late for an employer to file a PERM labor certification (PERM or LC). The question generally comes from individuals who are approaching or are already in the sixth year of H1B status....
This afternoon, the U.S. Senate passed a spending bill to fund the federal government through September 30, 2017, which is the last day of fiscal year 2017. The House passed the spending bill yesterday. The bill now goes to the President, who is expected to...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a news alert on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, informing stakeholders that the data entry process has been completed for all cases selected in the fiscal year 2018 (FY18) H1B lottery. The USCIS will now begin returning all...
Two individuals, formerly associated with hardline anti-immigration groups, have received high-level positions within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Julie Kirchner, the former executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), has been appointed ombudsman at the United States Citizenship and Immigration...
