The U.S. government is in a state of partial shutdown as of October 1, 2013 due to an inability to obtain congressional agreement on appropriations. As of October 1st, the Department of Labor iCert system is unavailable. This system is used for both PERM labor...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has confirmed earlier rumors that the employment-based (EB) visa numbers available for fiscal year 2013 (FY13) been exhausted. This is not uncommon, as FY13 ends on September 30. Thus, DOS seeks to allocate visa numbers in a manner that...
Individuals selected for the U.S. Department of State (DOS) diversity visa (DV) lottery program for fiscal year 2014 (FY14) are likely to have questions about how to move forward with permanent resident ("green card") applications. The system is based on the DOS visa bulletin, but...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for October 2013 is the first visa bulletin for fiscal year 2014 (FY14). Under this bulletin, the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category retrogresses in October, while the employment- based (EB) categories are largely stagnant. Visa Bulletin Summary Family-Based,...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that, as of September 3, 2013, two immigrant visa (IV) forms have been replaced by online "paperless" versions. The Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration (DS-230) and the Choice of Agent form (DS-3023) have been replaced by...
It can be difficult to obtain advance parole (AP) on an emergency basis. For this reason, those eligible to apply for AP are reminded to do so far in advance of travel, whenever possible. However, for those who must apply for this immigration benefit on...
This article has been updated. The new MurthyDotCom InfoArticle is entitled Requirement to Prove Ability to Pay in an I-140 Petition (22.Nov.2016). The team of Murthy Law Firm attorneys who write our NewsBriefs and InfoArticles make every effort to keep readers informed with the most...
As many MurthyDotCom readers know, the common qualifications for the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category is possession of an advanced degree or its equivalent. This requirement poses a challenge for many individuals who, because of their educational histories, are limited to filing in the employment-based,...
The anxiously-awaited September 2013 U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin, which is the final visa bulletin for fiscal year 2013 (FY13), contains good news for the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category and the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India. There are also...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for September 2013 advances the cutoff date in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India by more than five months, to June 15, 2008. Movement in the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category is even more substantial....
