24 Dec 2020

I hear there is now the possibility of a government shutdown, starting next week. Is that true?

Answer Unfortunately, yes! Everyone thought the shutdown was averted after representatives from the White House negotiated a compromise deal with Congress for a spending bill, which included a stimulus package. However, after Congress passed the omnibus spending bill, Trump announced that he was not happy with...

22 Dec 2020

USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Requests Until Jan 31, 2021

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has again extended the response time flexibility, initially announced on March 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies to applicants and petitioners responding to any of the following, issued from March 1, 2020 through January...

10 Dec 2020

A few weeks ago, my employer received the prevailing wage determination from the DOL with an incredibly high salary. My employer is not willing to pay this amount. Now that the DOL rule has been blocked by the courts, could we reapply to request a more reasonable salary?

Answer The employer does not necessarily have to completely reapply. Rather, any employer that wishes the DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) to review a prevailing wage determination issued based on October 8th regulation may do so by submitting a request for review before January...

10 Dec 2020

I have about 18 months of STEM OPT remaining, but my H1B change of status was recently approved. Is it possible to get back into F-1 status to use the rest of my STEM OPT?

Answer Generally speaking, once a person has been granted a change to H1B status, the STEM OPT terminates. It typically is not possible to use any remaining period of OPT (or STEM OPT.) (10.Dec.2020).Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information...