This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the travel ban implemented by President Trump in September 2017 was a permissible exercise of his authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Pursuant to this rule, the travel ban, which applies to citizens of Iran,...
Recently, the Employee Rights Section (IER) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding information sharing for interagency referrals. This apparently...
Lawful permanent residents (LPRs, or "green card" holders) applying to naturalize, and various different categories of I-485 adjustment-of-status applicants, are required to attend U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in-person interviews before their respective applications may be approved. Given the heightened scrutiny in the current...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has added a number new features to the E-Verify system, designed to improve the user experience, reduce errors, and increase the speed and accuracy of the employment eligibility verification process. In addition, the USCIS has launched a new...
The Trump Administration recently announced that a quota system will be incorporated into the individual performance evaluations for all immigration judges to require them to process cases more quickly. Immigration judges are responsible for presiding over cases such as removal (i.e. deportation) and asylum proceedings.This...
In this teleconference, recorded April 4, 2018, Murthy Law Firm attorneys provide practical tips and discuss best practices for when government agencies, such as ICE or FDNS, show up at your door to determine your company’s compliance with your H-1 and L-1 petitions.The MP3 is...
Fifteen members of the U.S. Congress wrote a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristjen Nielson in March 2018, urging her to reconsider the department's plan to terminate the program that allows certain H-4 spouses to obtain employment authorization documents...
On April 3, 2018, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is once again deemed a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Moreover, this decision applies retroactively to December 12, 2016, which is when the ACICS was stripped...
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in Jennings v. Rodriguez that noncitizens, including lawful permanent residents (i.e. "green card" holders), who are detained by immigration officials while their immigration removal proceedings are pending do not have a right to be released on bond. Summary of the...
This afternoon, President Trump signed a federal spending bill that keeps the government open through September 30, 2018. This bill also extends the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) regional center program for the same time period. The bill does not, however, provide any protections to beneficiaries...
