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...
Visa denials for H1B workers in the IT consulting industry continue to be commonplace. Many applicants arrive for their visa appointments at U.S. consulates fully prepared, with documents in support of their H1B visa applications, yet they still face administrative processing delays and refusals. For...
On July 15, 2011, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a travel warning to U.S. citizens living in or traveling to Mexico. We advise MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers of this warning, as it voices concerns of possible violence aimed at the U.S. Consulate in...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Federal Register notice on April 28, 2011, that removes all designated countries from the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), effective immediately. This decision was made due to the implementation of automated systems for the capture of...
The U.S. government will not experience a shutdown at this time, thanks to a last-minute, temporary spending measure. This will provide funding to cover government operations for a few days, after which it is expected that an agreement will be reached for the rest of...
Update: Due to an agreement on government funding for a two-week period, there will not be an immediate government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution provides funding until March 18, 2011. A shutdown remains possible in the future if a longer term agreement is not reached.-----If the...
The Murthy Law Firm is pleased to report that our recent success in overcoming an improper refusal of an H-4 visa at a U.S. consular post abroad. The visa issuance and the successful result in this case allowed a long-separated family to reunite in the...
The raid of Tri-Valley University (TVU) continues to send shockwaves through the immigrant community. Many former students fear that they will be removed (formerly referred to as deported) from the United States. Concerns about removal and clarifications of some misunderstandings are addressed here for the...
In Part 1 (14.Jan.2011) of this article, MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers were informed of problems with visa applications and an increase in denials at the U.S. consulates in India. Part 2 discusses some of the legal issues presented by the current wave of 221(g) refusals,...
[See also Part 2 of this article.]Historically, the U.S. consulates in India have had a reputation for closely scrutinizing visa applications. The standards at the consulates for H1B visas were quite strict, even prior to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS's) implementation of stricter...
