The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which is part of the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), recently issued a broadcast message reminding designated school officials (DSOs) that all form I-20s must be issued directly to the F-1 student, parent, or legal guardian. Other...
Answer Generally speaking, a person is required to live in the previous country of residency – in your case, India. Living in Australia normally would not meet this requirement. (26.Dec.2019)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE...
As previously reported on MurthyDotCom, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new proposed rule on Thursday, November 14, 2019, outlining significant increases for many U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) filing fees. The increases will result in a weighted average increase of...
Representatives of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recently met with representatives from the U.S. Department of State's Visa Office (VO) to discuss current immigration policies and procedures. Prior to the meeting, AILA submitted written questions to the VO, to which the DOS responded in...
Answer Normally, an H1B change-of-status denial would have no impact on one's current status or eligibility to continue working in STEM OPT. (30.Oct.2019)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online services, click here.Access more FAQs here. Copyright...
A student in F-1 status typically is eligible to participate in optional practical training (OPT) upon completion of the degree program or, in some circumstances, before graduation. The purpose of OPT employment is to provide the foreign national student with an opportunity to apply the...
Answer Once a person has started working pursuant to STEM OPT and then changes to H1B status, any remaining STEM OPT time generally is abandoned. (23.Oct.2019)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online services, click here.Access...
On October 11, 2019, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) published an interim final rule in the Federal Register, entitled Visas: Ineligibility Based on Public Charge Grounds. Once this interim final rule goes into effect, it will greatly expand the categories of public benefits considered...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced today that the interim final rule regarding visa ineligibility based on public charge grounds is not yet being implemented. Per the announcement, "visa applicants are not requested to take any additional steps at this time and should attend...
This afternoon, a federal district court judge issued a nationwide injunction against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from enforcing the new public charge rule. The public charge rule had been scheduled to go into effect on October 15, 2019.The injunction specifically prohibits the...
