The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is undertaking a series of technological updates known as the Transformation Initiative. Transformation is essentially an effort by USCIS to move the application process from a paper-based system to an online, electronic system. These changes will be of...
The U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, India is experiencing a temporary reduction in capacity, as of March 3, 2011. The condition of the building has made it necessary to close several interview windows at the Consulate, thus limiting the volume of applicants who can be interviewed...
Update: Due to an agreement on government funding for a two-week period, there will not be an immediate government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution provides funding until March 18, 2011. A shutdown remains possible in the future if a longer term agreement is not reached.-----If the...
The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico recently changed the nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application procedures. As of January 10, 2011, applicant service centers (ASCs) will perform some of the visa application processing. Nonimmigrant visa applicants will apply through the ASCs prior to the visa interview...
In Part 1 (14.Jan.2011) of this article, MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers were informed of problems with visa applications and an increase in denials at the U.S. consulates in India. Part 2 discusses some of the legal issues presented by the current wave of 221(g) refusals,...
[See also Part 2 of this article.]Historically, the U.S. consulates in India have had a reputation for closely scrutinizing visa applications. The standards at the consulates for H1B visas were quite strict, even prior to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS's) implementation of stricter...
Part 1 (07.Jan.2011) of this New Year reminder to employers focused on the H1B-related issues of labor condition applications (LCAs) and employee terminations. In part 2, H1B salary matters are explained. Salary Changes Many employers typically perform annual salary reviews. If an employee's performance has been good...
MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers were provided with a three-part series of articles reminding them to check expiration dates related to their immigration cases. Readers should also regularly check another important date-related document - the monthly U.S. Department of State (DOS) visa bulletin. While many individuals...
International travel is quite common in December and January each year. Many foreign nationals see the holiday season as a good time to visit family abroad. Some of the important matters that must be considered with regard to international travel are outlined here for the...
Many of our readers participate in the popular, weekly MurthyChat, one of the free online services offered by the Murthy Law Firm. They may also search past chat transcripts for answers to their own questions. The chat reflects questions that are on the minds of...
