The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues to work on improving the Case Status Online system, which, as the name implies, allows stakeholders to check the status of a case using the internet. The USCIS provided an update on the progress being made to this...
Effective December 22, 2014, the exchange rate between the Indian rupee and the U.S. dollar, for purposes of paying visa applications fees in India, has changed. The new exchange rate is 64 rupees per U.S. dollar, up from the previous designated rate of 62 rupees...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice of request for information (RFI), on December 30, 2014, asking for input from the general public on streamlining and improving the nation's immigration system. This RFI is a result...
The U.S. Department of State, National Visa Center (NVC) plays a key role in applications for immigrant visas that are utilizing the consular processing (CP) option. In a November 2014 meeting with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the NVC provided some insights into how...
One of the components of President Obama's executive actions on immigration includes efforts to facilitate lawful permanent residents (LPRs, or "green card" holders) in becoming citizens of the United States. To that end, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a memorandum to Leon...
As has been widely reported, the State of Texas has filed a lawsuit seeking to block portions of President Obama's executive actions related to immigration. This has created some unease and confusion among foreign nationals who stand to benefit from some part of the President's...
Immediately following President Obama's November 20, 2014 announcement of his executive actions related to immigration reform, the Murthy Law Firm began to receive queries asking when the changes would go into effect. While the timeline on immigration benefits for undocumented aliens has been fairly well...
A recent computer glitch in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) system has led to the issuance of receipt notices (form I-797) that inadvertently include requests for evidence (RFEs). These receipt notices, asking for missing photographs, have been generated by the Nebraska Service Center...
The National Visa Center (NVC) has changed the requirements regarding supporting documentation submitted in immigrant visa applications. As of November 12, 2014, the NVC has begun accepting photocopies of civil documents, rather than requiring originals. Background on the NVC In cases where a foreign national wishes to...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated three West African countries for temporary protected status (TPS), due to the outbreak of Ebola in the region. Effective November 21, 2014, nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone living in the United States are eligible...
