H1B visa refusals have become common for those working within the IT consulting industry, as regular MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers are aware. These problems have made travel abroad by H1B employees risky, if a new visa is required for reentry to the United States. This...
A bill entitled the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 22, 2011. This proposal would eliminate the country-based eligibility limits for employment-based (EB) visa numbers. If passed, this bill would significantly change the system...
The terms visa and status are often used interchangeably, which creates confusion for many people. Here, the distinctions between visa and status are clarified for the benefit of our readers. Visa Issued by U.S. Consulate Abroad A visa is a document issued by the U.S. Department of...
On October 27, 2011, certain surviving spouses of U.S. citizens will run out of time to pursue permanent residence ("green card") as widows or widowers based upon a change to U.S. immigration law that occurred in October 2009. As explained here for the benefit of...
The ever-present problems presented by the visa adjudications process at U.S. consulates around the world - and particularly in India - are well known to many of our readers. At these consulates, the issuance of section 221(g) visa refusals to those working as IT consultants...
Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) John Morton released a June 17, 2011, memorandum intended to provide additional guidance to ICE personnel on exercising prosecutorial discretion. In this context, favorable prosecutorial discretion refers to the government's ability to choose not to enforce certain...
The 2011 Annual Conference of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) was held in mid-June in San Diego, California. As in years past, several Murthy Law Firm attorneys attended the conference. This is one way we keep up to date with the latest developments in...
At the Murthy Law Firm, we receive many questions about immigration petitioning for relatives. While there are many nuances to this topic, we have simplified the initial, fundamental question: who may file for permanent immigration benefits to provide the "green card" for their relatives. These...
Many people change status from H1B to H-4 and, later, consider changing back to H1B. This issue was raised in a recent session of the MurthyChat. Some of the frequent questions and misunderstandings in the ability to file and change status and the implications and...
As many people face delays and denials of their nonimmigrant visa requests at U.S. consulates and embassies abroad, questions arise as to the status of dependent family members who are in the United States. It is important, therefore, to remind MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers of...
