As evidenced from the inquiries we receive at the Murthy Law Firm, there are many individuals who are interested in the possibility of what is referred to as "upgrading" their permanent resident (commonly, "green card") cases to employment-based, second preference (EB2). This strategy is used...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the February 2014 Visa Bulletin. For the most part, there are no major changes in this latest visa bulletin from the previous month. One exception to this is the continued favorable developments for the employment-based, third preference...
The problems with the U.S. economy have brought renewed focus on options for attracting foreign investors. Similarly, the opportunities created by economic woes in the United States have attracted the attention, and money, of many foreign investors. However, a recent audit report by the U.S....
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) January 2014 Visa Bulletin has been released. There is little-to-no movement in most of the categories, but a noticeable exception is the advancement in the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category for all countries of chargeability, except India and the...
In mid-November 2013, attorneys from the Murthy Law Firm participated in the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) DC Chapter Fall Conference as speakers and moderators for many of the informative panels. One particularly thought-provoking session, moderated by Sheela Murthy, was a U.S. Department of Labor...
The I-485 inventory charts kept by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have recently been updated. The charts detail the number of pending employment-based (EB) adjustment-of-status (I-485) cases by EB preference category, country of chargeability, and month and year of the priority date. This...
Mergers and acquisitions frequently result in critical immigration compliance issues that must be addressed, as explained in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, Mysteries of Mergers & Acquisitions: Basics of Immigration Due Diligence (26.March.2012). It is typically the responsibility of a human resources manager or other company representative,...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued the visa bulletin for December 2013. The cutoff date movements are consistent with predictions offered by the DOS this past October for employment-based cases and family-based cases. The most notable development is yet another round of significant EB2 retrogression...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for December 2013 contains a cutoff date of November 15, 2004 for employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India. This substantial retrogression was expected, based upon official DOS predictions issued in October 2013. This means another extended...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) iCert system has, of late, been exhibiting some intermittent technical problems. The iCert system is used for a number of immigration-related processes, including labor condition applications (LCA), which are necessary for the H1B process, and PERM labor certification cases....
