The USCIS Office of Transformation Coordination (OTC) recently provided an overview of the current status of the USCIS Transformation. Transformation is a large scale USCIS program to upgrade from paper-based operations to electronic systems. One important part of this series of changes is the phasing...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an initiative intended to encourage bright international students to study in the U.S. The initiative, entitled Study in the States, sets forth the goals of examining and improving upon existing student and exchange visitor programs. The most...
A foreign national is subject to specific, strict requirements as a condition of obtaining F-1 status as a full-time student. Failure to follow legal requirements can lead to status violations, which can have potentially devastating effects for many international students. Foreign national students must stay...
Sheela Murthy met with Arun K. Singh, the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), and Datta Palsargikar, the Minister of Community Affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. The DCM shared updates the DHS had given the Indian government regarding the ICE raid on UNVA.Ms....
As was reported in our NewsFlash posted on MurthyDotCom July 28, 2011, (University of Northern Virginia: F-1 Students Must Read!) the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has begun proceedings to terminate the SEVP certification of the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA). According to a...
This recent case, taken on by the Murthy Law Firm, is one in which we were able to successfully obtain a waiver allowing our client to return to the United States in a nonimmigrant status. One must file a waiver application if there is a...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an interim policy memorandum that changes the timeframe for responding to various requests for evidence (RFEs). The interim memorandum became effective immediately for RFEs issued after July 7, 2011, the date of the memo. The purpose...
On July 28, 2011, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) served the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA) with a Notice of Intent to Withdraw the school's eligibility to sponsor F-1 foreign students. This situation is similar to what Tri-Valley University (TVU) students faced in...
Visa and status are two concepts that are commonly confused. Under immigration law, the two concepts are distinct, even though in discussions, the word visa and the word status are used interchangeably. Visa, in immigration law, refers to the visa stamp affixed to one's passport...
From time to time, F-1 students fail to maintain their status, often unintentionally. A foreign national student studying in the United States can fall out of status either as a result of an action on his or her own part, such as working without authorization...
