Each quarter, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) releases a report that provides key data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) on the makeup of international students who choose to study in the United States. A look at these quarterly reports...
As reported in a series of NewsFlashes posted on MurthyDotCom at the end of July 2014, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) began experiencing problems with one of its key computer systems, the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD). This has caused some ongoing delay in visa processing...
The process of applying for both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas at U.S. consular posts abroad may raise questions of exactly what information is checked and how that information is gathered during the screening process. A June 2014 Congressional Research Service report provides an overview of the...
On July 11, 2014, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum that provides updated guidance to adjudicators to determine whether a particular nursing position meets the H1B category's specialty occupation requirement. This issue was last addressed by the USCIS in 2002. The...
In March 2014, the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman recommended a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy change regarding the narrow interpretation of a provision in the law that impacts J-2 spouses of J-1 physicians. Under the USCIS interpretation of the law, these...
The Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) 2014 Annual Report was submitted to Congress on June 27, 2014. The report details various deficiencies found within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), according to the Ombudsman's office, including problems with H1B and L-1 processing...
Many foreign nationals are anxiously awaiting news related to the proposed rules that would make certain H-4 spouses eligible to apply for employment authorization documents (EADs). It remains unclear when - or even if - the proposal will go into effect. However, the deadline for...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a checklist now being utilized by officers to evaluate trade NAFTA (TN) applications. This is an apparent response to concerns over inconsistencies in decision making on cases requesting admission in the TN category. TN for Canadian and Mexican Professionals The...
With approvals coming in for cap-subject H1B petitions filed for fiscal year (FY) 2015 and those selected in the lottery, we have been receiving calls from H1B beneficiaries and employers, seeking clarification on how early they can apply for H1B visas based on approvals received...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has confirmed that the U.S. consular posts in Canada have an extremely limited number of appointments available this summer for third-country nationals (TCNs) applying for nonimmigrant visas. To that end, the DOS is urging visa applicants, other than Canadian...
