13
Feb
2014
U.S. Citizen Sponsorship of a Foreign National Fiancé/e or Spouse
This MurthDotCom NewsBrief has been updated. Please find the new version....
10:29 /
Uncategorized
12
Feb
2014
March 2014 Visa Bulletin and Short-Term Predictions
The March 2014 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), offering little in the way of movement or surprises. Perhaps the most significant change is the retrogression of the family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category for anyone born in Mexico...
18
Dec
2013
DOS Visa Bulletin for January 2014
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...
12
Dec
2013
U.S. Supreme Court on the Child Status Protection Act
The U.S. Supreme Court heard an important case related to immigration on December 10, 2013. The case, Mayorkas v Cuellar de Osorio, involves the interpretation of provisions of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). A favorable decision in this case would facilitate family unity by...
04
Dec
2013
USCIS Working to Improve Processing Time for USC Immediate Relative Cases
In response to complaints from stakeholders, a recent statement from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicates efforts to significantly reduce the processing time for form I-130 relative petitions filed by U.S. citizens on behalf of immediate relatives. The USCIS notes that processing times...
22
Nov
2013
USCIS Issues Erroneous RFEs on FB2A Petitions
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has alerted stakeholders of the issuance of inappropriate requests for evidence (RFEs) by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) National Benefits Center (NBC) in connection with family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) petitions. These RFEs are asking petitioning family...
21
Nov
2013
USCIS on Options Available After Natural Disasters
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a news alert on November 15, 2013, reminding those impacted by the devastation in the Philippines created by Typhoon Haiyan that certain forms of immigration relief may be available. This reminder covers a number of general provisions applicable...
12:16 /
F-1 / Family Based / For Employers / For Families / For Individuals / L-2 Dependent / NewsBrief / USCIS News
14
Nov
2013
Dec 2013 Visa Bulletin: EB2 India Retrogression & Stagnation Expected Until May 2014
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...
11:54 /
AOS/CP / AOS/CP (Family) / EB2 PERM Labor / Employment Based / Immigrant Family / NewsBrief / Visa Bulletin
01
Nov
2013
Visa Bulletin Predictions: Family-Based Categories
As reported in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, Fiscal Year 2014 Visa Bulletin Predictions (25.Oct.2013), the Chief of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting Division made a number of predictions regarding how much (or little) cutoff date movement in the employment-based categories...
01
Oct
2013
NewsFlash! Government Shutdown October 1, 2013
The U.S. government is in a state of partial shutdown as of October 1, 2013 due to an inability to obtain congressional agreement on appropriations. As of October 1st, the Department of Labor iCert system is unavailable. This system is used for both PERM labor...
13:04 /
Consulates / Employment Based / Family Based / For Employers / For Families / For Individuals / H1B / Homeland Security / Legislation / NewsBrief / USCIS News