This recent case, taken on by the Murthy Law Firm, is one in which we were able to successfully obtain a waiver allowing our client to return to the United States in a nonimmigrant status. One must file a waiver application if there is a...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an interim policy memorandum that changes the timeframe for responding to various requests for evidence (RFEs). The interim memorandum became effective immediately for RFEs issued after July 7, 2011, the date of the memo. The purpose...
On July 28, 2011, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) served the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA) with a Notice of Intent to Withdraw the school's eligibility to sponsor F-1 foreign students. This situation is similar to what Tri-Valley University (TVU) students faced in...
Visa and status are two concepts that are commonly confused. Under immigration law, the two concepts are distinct, even though in discussions, the word visa and the word status are used interchangeably. Visa, in immigration law, refers to the visa stamp affixed to one's passport...
From time to time, F-1 students fail to maintain their status, often unintentionally. A foreign national student studying in the United States can fall out of status either as a result of an action on his or her own part, such as working without authorization...
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is developing the next generation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The new system, known as SEVIS II, is designed to address the limitations of the current SEVIS system. The timeframe for the phased-in implementation...
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a news release on May 12, 2011 announcing that ICE has added new degree programs to the list of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees eligible for the 17-month optional practical training (OPT) extension for F-1...
Issues arising from the Tri-Valley University (TVU) raid in January 2011 continue to plague former students of that institution. The Murthy Law Firm and lawyers from other firms have been involved in efforts to assist former TVU students as they seek to regain lawful status...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently published a final rule giving U.S. consular officers, posted at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, increased power to revoke previously-approved nonimmigrant (temporary) visa foils (known as "stamps"). The changed regulations also provide for authority to temporarily revoke approved...
[Part 1 of this news article, H1B Portability: A Change in USCIS Policy? Part 1 of 2 (13.May.2011), is available on MurthyDotCom.]In Part 1 of this article, a narrowing of the USCIS's interpretation of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) was discussed...
