President Barack Obama directed the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to update and modernize the PERM Labor Certification (PERM LC) program in 2014. On September 12, 2016, however, a DOL official stated that the PERM regulations are currently under review, but that it is "highly...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued instructions for entry in the fiscal year 2018 (FY18) diversity visa (DV) lottery. The DV lottery, often called the "green card" lottery, grants 50,000 immigrant visas each year to qualified applicants. Registration for FY18 begins on October...
Answer This can be a tricky situation. A government memo from some years ago said that a principal nonimmigrant (such as an H1B spouse) could not depart the U.S. leaving behind a "parked" dependent (such as an H-4 spouse). If the H1B is traveling outside the...
Answer Under the current rules, the new employer would need to file a new PERM application and a new I-140. One generally would be allowed to retain the same priority date from the approved I-140, however. (03.Oct.2016)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other...
Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a stopgap bill to fund the federal government through Friday, December 9, 2016. This bill also serves to extend the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) regional center program for the same time period. This stopgap bill was also...
The Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) held a teleconference on August 31, 2016 to discuss processing delays for certain types of cases. More specifically, the teleconference focused on adjudication delays of applications for employment authorization documents (EADs), change-of-status (COS) applications, and H1B petitions...
Due to the partisan disagreements at the federal level related to the annual budget, there is a possibility that the federal government will be forced to shut down temporarily starting October 1, 2016. Such shutdowns are rare and there is still hope that it will...
Answer Advance parole permits one to enter while the I-485 is pending. It generally cannot be used after the I-485 has been approved. You may wish to schedule a consultation with an attorney who can review your mother's situation in greater detail and determine what options...
As of August 1, 2016, any civil surgeon completing a report of medical examination and vaccination record (form I-693) for an applicant who is 15 years of age or older, must test the applicant for gonorrhea. This policy change came with virtually no notice to...
In order to assist MurthyDotCom readers in their navigation of the complex immigration maze, this brief outline describes the main government entities involved in the immigration process of foreign nationals coming to the United States. The immigration process includes the granting of immigration benefits, as...
