20 Feb 2012

L-1 & H1B Visas: A Comparison

H1Bs have long been the visa of choice for those bringing specialty occupation employees to the U.S. to work temporarily. However, it is also important to consider alternatives to the H1B program. The L-1 visa is potentially an attractive option for multinational companies. Following is...

17 Feb 2012

FY13 H1B Cap Season: Time to Get Started!

As many MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers are aware, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H1B cap-subject filings for fiscal year 2013 (FY13) as of Monday, April 2, 2012. The significance of April 2nd is that it is the first business day...

16 Feb 2012

Amended H1B Petitions

In 1996 Legacy INS (now the USCIS) issued a memorandum outlining the general policy guidelines on when a new or amended H1B petition must be filed.This memo was issued to allay confusion about deadlines for filing an amended petition. Although the memo attempts to clarify...

16 Jan 2012

U.S. Consulate at Chennai Stops Immigrant Visa Processing

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that the U.S. Consulate at Chennai, India stopped processing immigrant visa (IV) petitions as of January 1, 2012. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai are now the only locations in India conducting interviews...

09 Dec 2011

FY12 H1B Cap Reached on November 22, 2011

As previously announced to MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers, the H1B cap for fiscal year 2012 (FY12) was reached November 22, 2011. Explained here is the process for cases filed on or before November 22, 2011, as well as procedures for initiating H1B cap cases for...

02 Dec 2011

NewsFlash! No H1B Lottery in FY 2012

It has been announced that the USCIS will NOT be holding a lottery of H1B cap-subject cases filed on the final day of filing for fiscal year 2012 (FY12). The cap for FY12 was reached on November 22, 2011. The USCIS typically does not have...