The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun issuing requests for evidence (RFEs) for updated medical examinations in connection with long-pending adjustment of status cases (I-485 forms). The reason for this development is that many medical examinations are set to expire on May 31,...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the May 2014 Visa Bulletin. There is little to cheer for in this month's bulletin, with no unexpected forward movement in any of the categories. Further, the DOS again warns that retrogression may be necessary for the...
The USCIS Idea Community is an online tool created by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to solicit public feedback and ideas on its services and initiatives. The "idea campaign" pertains to welcoming immigrants and citizenship preparation. The public is free to submit comments through...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced its intent to voluntarily reopen certain denied I-601A waivers. This applies, as of March 18, 2014, to I-601A waiver cases that were denied prior to January 24, 2014, and only to those cases that were denied solely...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) system for filing and tracking Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests has recently been improved. A FOIA request is a powerful tool used to obtain case-specific government records and other internal government documents. FOIA requests submitted to the...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the April 2014 Visa Bulletin. As expected, there was little in the way of movement in this month's visa bulletin. Family-Based, Second Preference "A" (FB2A) The FB2A category applies to spouses and (unmarried, minor) children of U.S. lawful permanent...
To provide clarity on an important issue regarding recruitment in PERM labor certification (LC) cases, the frequently asked questions section of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)'s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) was recently updated. In the frequently asked questions (FAQs), under the Recruitment Report...
A portion of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) audit plan for PERM labor certification (LC) cases was recently released. The plan describes tiers of cases that are more likely to be subjected to audits, and also points out some of the potential triggers that...
The March 2014 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), offering little in the way of movement or surprises. Perhaps the most significant change is the retrogression of the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category for anyone born in Mexico...
As evidenced from the inquiries we receive at the Murthy Law Firm, there are many individuals who are interested in the possibility of what is referred to as "upgrading" their permanent resident (commonly, "green card") cases to employment-based, second preference (EB2). This strategy is used...
