It is the time when Indians around the world gather with family and friends to observe Diwali (also called Deepavali) a festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, each for reasons specific to their religious traditions. The five days of celebration crescendo on the middle...
A student in F-1 status, who is on Optional Practical Training (OPT), may have no more than a total of 90 days of unemployment during the regular one-year post-completion OPT period. A student eligible for an additional 24 months of OPT (for a total of...
The Murthy Law Firm periodically receives questions from those who do not know the categories of their pending employment-based permanent residence ("green card") cases. This is a useful piece of information, which determines timeframes and options for an individual or family. While generally available from...
When individuals have a brush with criminal law, they are often afraid and, typically, very embarrassed. Such experiences generally are shared, if at all, only with those closest to the individual. Thus, it often feels as if there is no one to turn to for...
While scientists have been known to investigate whether it is physically possible for Santa Claus to travel around the world in just one night, they tend to overlook the legal implications of the jolly man’s travels to bring toys and gifts to children in the...
In each permanent resident (“green card”) case, one must decide whether to request consular processing (CP) or adjustment of status (AOS). There are two possibilities for this last step in the green card process: adjustment of status within the United States or processing for an...
Many foreign nationals hold some mistaken beliefs related to the employment authorization document (EAD). Laws and regulations that govern employment through the EAD may differ substantially from the rules that govern work authorization provided by nonimmigrant status, such as H1B. Foreign nationals must make efforts...
Pursuant to the regulations, the J-1 program was established to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchanges. Educational and cultural exchanges assist [the U.S. Department of State] in furthering...
The Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for conducting site visits, when needed, at the homes of married couples in spousal permanent residence ("green card") cases. This is an effort to identify and investigate...
[Read Part 1 of this article.]This is the second in our two-part InfoArticle on the selection of one's own attorney for immigration matters. Part 1 of this article addressed this topic in the immigrant (green card) context. Here, the selection of an attorney for a...
