Recently, BALCA rendered an opinion on two separate cases regarding the use of expired Prevailing Wage Determinations (PWDs) in PERM labor certification cases. The appeals body within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA). The useful information...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) addressed questions related to proposed changes within the PERM labor certification process. The purpose of the changes is to enhance system integrity. The DOL also intends to propose legislation to allow for an employer-paid filing fee in connection with...
The U.S. government will not experience a shutdown at this time, thanks to a last-minute, temporary spending measure. This will provide funding to cover government operations for a few days, after which it is expected that an agreement will be reached for the rest of...
The cutoff date for EB2, India, is expected to advance in May 2011. This advancement will occur in the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for May 2011. The Visa Bulletin for May 2011 will be published in early to mid April 2011.On March...
As some MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers certainly have experienced firsthand, PERM labor certification processing times have greatly improved during 2011. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is making a concerted effort to reduce their backlog in the processing of PERMs, and the results are showing...
Update: Due to an agreement on government funding for a two-week period, there will not be an immediate government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution provides funding until March 18, 2011. A shutdown remains possible in the future if a longer term agreement is not reached.-----If the...
Many MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers are interested in obtaining the employment authorization document (EAD). The EAD is issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Holders of this document are endowed with permission to work in the United States. Although many classes of foreign...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posts processing information online. This is itemized by each service center and for each field office, based on case type. While this is helpful, further explanation is provided here to aid MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers in understanding the...
A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memorandum regarding the importance of social networking sites in fraud detection was recently disclosed. This memo discusses the use of social networking sites by Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) officers in investigating potential abuses of U.S. immigration...
Many of our readers participate in the popular, weekly MurthyChat, one of the free online services offered by the Murthy Law Firm. They may also search past chat transcripts for answers to their own questions. The chat reflects questions that are on the minds of...
