The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is developing the next generation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The new system, known as SEVIS II, is designed to address the limitations of the current SEVIS system. The timeframe for the phased-in implementation...
Many people change status from H1B to H-4 and, later, consider changing back to H1B. This issue was raised in a recent session of the MurthyChat. Some of the frequent questions and misunderstandings in the ability to file and change status and the implications and...
As many people face delays and denials of their nonimmigrant visa requests at U.S. consulates and embassies abroad, questions arise as to the status of dependent family members who are in the United States. It is important, therefore, to remind MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers of...
Amid an increasing number of I-9 audits and investigations, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has created the I-9 Central Portal for use by employers seeking to comply with the hiring restrictions imposed by U.S. immigration law. The new I-9 portal was announced in...
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a news release on May 12, 2011 announcing that ICE has added new degree programs to the list of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees eligible for the 17-month optional practical training (OPT) extension for F-1...
Issues arising from the Tri-Valley University (TVU) raid in January 2011 continue to plague former students of that institution. The Murthy Law Firm and lawyers from other firms have been involved in efforts to assist former TVU students as they seek to regain lawful status...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently published a final rule giving U.S. consular officers, posted at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, increased power to revoke previously-approved nonimmigrant (temporary) visa foils (known as "stamps"). The changed regulations also provide for authority to temporarily revoke approved...
[Part 1 of this news article, H1B Portability: A Change in USCIS Policy? Part 1 of 2 (13.May.2011), is available on MurthyDotCom.]In Part 1 of this article, a narrowing of the USCIS's interpretation of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) was discussed...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has had to void the results of the 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery. These results were posted on the DOS website in early May 2011. However, due to a computer programming error, the selection of winners was not made in...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Federal Register notice on April 28, 2011, that removes all designated countries from the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), effective immediately. This decision was made due to the implementation of automated systems for the capture of...
