The ongoing pandemic has made movement in the monthly visa bulletin even harder to predict than normal. Moreover, while the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can be painfully slow in adjudicating I-485 applications, some of these applications are unexpectedly approved rather quickly. This unpredictability...
With the summer travel season upon us, many readers of MurthyDotCom are planning long-awaited trips abroad to visit family and friends. Not in their plans is a problem with the expiration date on the I-94 arrival / departure card upon returning to the United States....
Answer No, there is no such requirement. You likely are thinking of the rule that requires the passport to be valid for at least six months beyond a nonimmigrant's anticipated stay in the United States. But even that "rule" only applies to passports issued by countries...
Lawful permanent residents (LPRs), including conditional lawful permanent residents, who have remained outside the United States for more than one year, or beyond the validity period of a reentry permit issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), typically are required to apply for...
Answer Normally, there is no need to wait for an I-539 to be approved in order to apply for an H-4 visa at a consulate. If the applicant can show that the principal spouse is in valid H1B status, the consulate typically has the authority to...
Answer On average, it takes the consulate about four-to-eight weeks to process a 221(g) case. Note that some dropbox applicants are being asked to schedule follow-up 221g interviews. (18.May.2022)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online...
To apply for a U.S. visa, an applicant must first complete the nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application form DS-160. The next step in the visa application process is to schedule a U.S. visa appointment. An overview of the process of creating a profile, paying the requisite...
Answer Although a person may apply for a B-1/B-2 visa for a particular purpose (e.g., to visit family) or a particular event (e.g., attending a specific conference), the B-1/B-2 visa normally is not tied to any specific activity or event. Rather, as long the visa remains...
Answer Each spouse needs to apply based on his or her individual appointment slot. After the appointments are scheduled, the consulate has discretion to then grant an expedite appointment to the spouse with the later appointment date. There is no guarantee that this will be granted,...
Answer U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has indicated that, if a foreign national is engaged in a marijuana business in Canada, where there is no commerce with the United States, that alone likely would not make the individual inadmissible to the U.S. (12.May.2022)Sheela Murthy and...
