The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently confirmed that the employment eligibility verification (I-9) form, available on the USCIS WebSite, remains valid despite its stated expiration date of August 31, 2012. The USCIS process for making changes to the I-9 and releasing a new...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Office has issued updated predictions of employment-based (EB) cutoff dates expected in the October 2012 Visa Bulletin. The DOS anticipates that the cutoff date for EB2 India will likely be a 2006 date. This is a revision of...
Aware of the mounting anxiety among many of our readers, the Murthy Law Firm recently contacted the U.S. Department of State (DOS) seeking information regarding projections for cutoff dates under the October 2012 Visa Bulletin. The DOS advised that the October Visa Bulletin, which begins...
The USCIS issued a policy memorandum on July 23, 2012 detailing current policies regarding available accommodations for religious beliefs as it relates to immigration photographs and fingerprinting requirements. The memo makes it clear that, while some accommodations are available, the USCIS will not waive photograph...
Individuals who have filed the application for adjustment of status (I-485) frequently apply for an advance parole (AP) document to facilitate foreign travel. For many of these individuals, travel abroad is complicated and may entail considerable risk. Historically, this was particularly true for individuals who...
A successful immigration case is usually thought of as one that results in some type of approval of a request for immigration benefit. There are other types of filings that sometimes may bring the desired result. This report of a case handled by the Murthy...
Many individuals who filed applications for adjustment of status (form I-485), in recent months are considering the employment portability and flexibility options under the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21). The Murthy Law Firm has provided successful representation for more than a decade...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for August 2012 contains no surprises for our readers. The employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India and China is unavailable through the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2012. The retrogressed date of January 1, 2009 in EB2...
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) issued a decision on June 14, 2012 overturning the denial of a PERM labor certification (PERM labor) despite a 0.0003 percent variation between the employer's offered wage and the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage determination (PWD)....
On July 11, 2012 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced that he was lifting his "hold" on H.R. 3012, The Fairness to High-Skilled Immigrants Act. The bill proposes a phased-in elimination of per-country numerical limitations in the employment-based (EB) green card categories. This bill was approved...
