If certain criteria are met, a group of ten or more applicants may schedule a group appointment at a U.S. consulate. An overview of the process of scheduling such an appointment at a U.S. consular post in India is provided here for the benefit of...
Answer Puerto Rico is part of the United States, so it is not necessary to have a visa “stamp” to return to the mainland from Puerto Rico. It is possible that you may encounter a security check to ensure that you are authorized to be in...
In 2004, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed the continued validity of an approved change-of-status petition with a future start date, when a person travels abroad after such approval but reenters the United States before the future start date is reached. This clarification...
Answer There is guidance indicating that you should be able to travel while an amendment is pending if you have a valid H1B visa in your passport and the receipt notice for the amendment. However, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility that a CBP officer...
There has been a shortage of nonimmigrant visa (NIV) appointments at the U.S. consulates in India throughout the ongoing pandemic. This problem has been exacerbated by certain agents who have been booking visa appointments in bulk, and then charging visa applicants for these scarce appointment...
There are questions commonly on the minds of many MurthyDotCom readers regarding the effect of reentry into the United States on H1B or L-1 workers who also have approved advance parole (AP) based on a pending application to adjust status (form I-485). The law pertaining...
Answer Ordinarily, if you are not physically in the United States, U.S. immigration law would not limit your ability to work for a U.S. employer. This would typically apply, regardless of whether the person has a valid EAD. (30.Jun.2022)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance...
The ongoing pandemic has made movement in the monthly visa bulletin even harder to predict than normal. Moreover, while the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can be painfully slow in adjudicating I-485 applications, some of these applications are unexpectedly approved rather quickly. This unpredictability...
With the summer travel season upon us, many readers of MurthyDotCom are planning long-awaited trips abroad to visit family and friends. Not in their plans is a problem with the expiration date on the I-94 arrival / departure card upon returning to the United States....
Answer No, there is no such requirement. You likely are thinking of the rule that requires the passport to be valid for at least six months beyond a nonimmigrant's anticipated stay in the United States. But even that "rule" only applies to passports issued by countries...
