The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans for a Haitian Family Reunification Program (HFRP), which will allow some Haitian nationals who are the beneficiaries of family-based petitions to enter the United States while the cases are still pending. The program is expected to...
For some time, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has been taking steps to reduce the processing times for "stand alone" I-130 petitions filed on behalf of immediate relatives - that is, family-based cases filed for the parent, spouse, or (unmarried, minor) child of...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced major changes to immigrant and nonimmigrant visa fees charged to applicants for visa "stamps" at U.S. embassies and consulates. The new fee structure took effect on September 12, 2014, and the DOS has provided instructions for those with pending...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), through Charles Oppenhiem, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides key insights into the contents of the visa bulletin in monthly conversations with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Chief Oppenhiem has provided information that is of...
The manual outlining policies and procedures used by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in serving the public was updated in August 2014. The USCIS Policy Manual is intended to increase uniformity and transparency within the agency, as explained in the MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, USCIS Releases...
The frequently asked questions (FAQs) maintained by the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) have been updated to provide some insight on the issue of familial relationships between the beneficiary and the sponsoring organization in the PERM labor certification (LC) process. In particular, the updated FAQ...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2014 Visa Bulletin. The employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for Indian nationals continues to move forward, but is expected to retrogress in the coming months. Cutoff dates for the family-based, second preference "A" category advance across the...
This morning, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2014 Visa Bulletin. Effective September 1st, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) India category will advance to May 1, 2009. The family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category, for spouses and (unmarried, minor) children of lawful permanent...
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has announced that it will now begin to issue a report each month intended to provide reliable predictions and analysis regarding the movement of cutoff dates in the visa bulletin. These reports will be based on discussions with Charles...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Immigration Statistics, recently reported that over 990,000 foreign nationals were granted U.S. permanent residence ("green card" status) in fiscal year (FY) 2013. These individuals, their respective countries of origin, and avenues to permanent resident status provide...
