Each month, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) provides a visa bulletin check-in with Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division. This month, Mr. Oppenheim explains key developments in the May 2016 Visa Bulletin, and also provides some predictions for cutoff date...
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument April 18, 2016 on the Obama administration's appeal of a decision that halted implementation of the President's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood...
As previously noted in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, Trend of Sluggish Movement Continues in May 2016 Visa Bulletin (12.Apr.2016), there is almost no change in the dates for filing (DF) chart in the May 2016 Visa Bulletin issued by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). As...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has started a pilot program intended to streamline the employment-based immigration process for participating employers. The Known Employer pilot is intended to reduce or eliminate the need for repeated review and assessment on the background and bona fides of...
Last night, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced completion of the H1B cap lottery selection process. Receipt of more than 236,000 H1B petitions was reported, compared to fewer than 233,000 cap-subject petitions filed last year. The USCIS has not provided a breakdown of...
As explained in Annual Reminders for Individuals - Check I-94 Expiration Dates (06.Apr.2016), foreign nationals can avoid a number of serious immigration problems by being mindful of certain key dates related to their stay in the United States, such as the I-94 expiration date. Depending...
As of the time of this writing, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not yet announced the completion of the H1B random lottery process for fiscal year 2017 (FY17). The Murthy Law Firm, however, has already started to receive electronic receipt notices for...
The May 2016 Visa Bulletin was released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) earlier today. Unsurprisingly, there is very little movement in the employment-based categories.In the final action (FA) chart, the cutoff date in the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India moves ahead by...
The finalized STEM optional practical training (OPT) rule goes into effect on May 10, 2016. The revised regulations allow for a 24-month OPT extension for students with qualifying STEM degrees. Background: Replaces Vacated STEM OPT Regulations As explained in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, STEM OPT Could End in...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the H1B cap limit for fiscal year 2017 (FY17) has been reached. This applies to both the 65,000 regular H1B cap limit as well as the 20,000 advanced degree (masters) cap exemptions.As the H1B case...
